


Doubting, Dreaming

by Lady_Felucia



Category: Kylo Ren - Fandom, Star Wars, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), kylux - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Art, Ben Solo - Freeform, Bisexual, Brendol Hux - Freeform, Chewbacca - Freeform, Coming Out, Dating, Exploring Sexuality, First Time, Gay, General Hux - Freeform, Han Solo - Freeform, Kylo Ren - Freeform, Kylo Ren and General Hux - Freeform, Kylux - Freeform, Leia Solo - Freeform, Love, Luke Skywalker - Freeform, Multi, OOC, Out of Character, Rey - Freeform, Romance, Romantic Fluff, School, Self-Acceptance, Star Wars - Freeform, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) - Freeform, Teen Angst, Teenage Drama, Teenage Fluff, Teenagers, Writing, finn - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-07 19:19:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11065449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Felucia/pseuds/Lady_Felucia
Summary: Armitage Hux is a good student; serious , sober, and industrious. But where his academic life flourishes, his social life suffers. Hux has a small group of acquaintances, but not someone whom he'd truly call a friend. His shyness and his somewhat tense home life prevents him from getting close to others, or giving others the opportunity to really get to know him.All that changes the day he starts talking to Ben Solo (who calls himself Kylo Ren), a quiet, artistic boy that's a part of the same after-school club as Hux.Together, these two navigate their Senior year amidst trials and tribulations concerning family, friends, school, the future, life, and, of course, that nefarious tease: Love.((Meant to be a (somewhat) short fluff story. Hope everyone likes!))





	1. Chapter 1

Hux sat up straight in his chair, taking another sip of his coffee.

He wished he had gotten an iced one, instead of a regular.

It being a basement classroom, there weren't any windows, and the air conditioning didn't work as well down here as it did in the upper level. Hux had been pushing for the past month to get a first or second floor room for the group to meet in, especially as the weather spiked with the last hurrah of warmth before fall set in; but so far, no soap.

He was in Creative Writing Club, a group consisting of himself and about a dozen other kids. Most were seniors like himself, with a couple of juniors mixed in, and one or two sophomores.

They got together twice a week, after the final bell, for about an hour and a half. Mostly they got together and read their stories, poems, and the like to the group, and then the group talked about what they had heard.

Hux was lucky in that everyone in this club was there out of a love for writing, and not as a means to pass up the time after school, or to avoid going home, or for the way the club would look on a college app, which is why so many students joined the other after-school clubs.

He was also fortunate in that the members of the club were mature enough to not need adult supervision. As a formality, Mr. Castings had been assigned the role of Teacher Supervisor to this group; but, upon seeing that they could be trusted on their own to sit and talk quietly, and not run amok in the hallways or deface school property, he put Hux in charge and spent the time in a room down the hall, grading papers and chatting with other teachers who were doing the same.

Hux was often put "in charge" of things, without ever asking for or suggesting it. There was something about him that made others unconsciously view him as a Leader, of sorts; someone who could be trusted to initiate change, get things back on track, and any number of little things that were just an innate part of his personality.

Physically, he wasn't very impressive-looking, at least not to himself. Red haired and freckled, with bright blue eyes hidden behind a pair of thick-framed black glasses. Skin that refused to tan no matter how long he spent in the sun. He stood at about 6'1", and was quite skinny. His slender figure was the cause of distention between himself and his father; the latter having been a football player and an amateur wrestler during HIS high school years, and was very disappointed that his only child didn't follow in his footsteps in regards to the athleticism.

His father had protested vehemently when Hux had told him he was joining Creative Writing Club at the beginning of the school year.

"Your school doesn't offer wrestling? Or basketball? Or at the very least, track?", he had asked in that stoic way of his.

Hux hadn't bothered to tell him that Creative Writing club was one of the few places where he felt like he could be HIMSELF; that to be able to express his feelings through stories and poems, and be around a group of kids with similar interests, was liberating to him. 

Instead, he merely shrugged, and his father gave it up as being a hopeless cause.

Things between Hux and his dad weren't always so strained and uncomfortable. Back when Hux's mother had still been alive, his dad was the loving, laughing, supportive father that was so often featured on tv shows and sitcoms. 

After his wife died, he changed quite rapidly, almost overnight. He withdrew further into himself and spent less and less time with his son, and the time they DID spend together consisted mainly of mercilessly critiquing every aspect of his son's life, from his grades to his clothes, to the way he styled his hair. It was almost a relief when, about a year ago, his father took an overnight job as manager of a shipping warehouse. He worked 5 days a week, from 7pm til 7am. He slept all day, then got up around 5:30, after Hux had gotten home, who remained quietly in his room until he left for work. He returned home in the morning just in time for Hux to take the car to school.

To Hux, the less time they were forced to spend in each other's company, the better.

Hux looked around the little group, now, as a girl finished reading her poem, and everybody began offering praise or asking questions.

Well, almost everybody.

The one person who hardly ever talked, except to read an odd piece of poetry here and there, was Kylo Ren.

He called himself Kylo Ren, and everybody, even teachers, complied with his self-christening. Yet Hux knew, from having had several classes with him during Junior year, that that wasn't his name at all. His 'real' name was Benjamin Solo. The summer after Junior year, however, he had come back to school almost completely changed, with multiple ear piercings, a shoulder tattoo, a markedly different wardrobe, and, apparently, a new name.

He was a tall boy, pale and slightly muscular, with a thick crop of wavy black hair that often fell over his eyes in a messy tangle. He was what one would consider "goth", or possible emo; he always wore dark colors (mostly black) no matter the weather, with a variety of hoodies and band t-shirts. He spent most of his time during meetings doodling in that sketchbook that he had, looking up only to read his own work, or offer a quiet comment on the work of somebody else.

Even quiet as he always was, there was still something about him that was interesting, almost enticing, in a way. During lulls in conversation, or when someone was reading their writings out-loud, Hux often found himself staring across the room at the dark-haired boy, without really knowing WHY.

And sometimes, when his gaze absently wandered over towards him, he found that Kylo was looking back.

Hux waited until the room was mainly quiet again, before he cleared his throat and said, 

"So we really need to work on the article for the school newspaper."

Once a month, all of the after-school clubs were given an option to contribute a story or an article about themselves and their club to the paper, and it would serve as an advertisement of sorts to "recruit" others into joining the aforementioned club or group. All of the little after-schools had an unspoken competition with each other, to see whose story or piece would draw the most attention, be the most interesting.

Unfortunately, it was pretty damn tricky to come up with anything exciting to say about a group of kids who sat around in an empty basement classroom two days a week after school and read stories to each other.

"Why not do something different?", suggested Michah, from across the room. Like, maybe a poem specifically about Creative Writing Club? Like, a funny one?"

Jessica rolled her eyes. "How is that 'different'? Half the shit in the paper is 'artsy' things like that from students and teachers."

"What about something weird, or like, parody or satire? Like an old-fashioned ad, in black and white, with stuff like "Do you think you have what it takes to blah blah blah; you know, like those old Uncle Sam Wants YOU posters?"

Several members of the group nodded in agreement; others frowned.

As they continued to talk and argue amongst themselves, Hux took care to take detailed notes about all that was being said or suggested, and by whom. Even if things didn't sound very good NOW, oftentimes ideas could be meshed together to create something good, later.

At last 5 o'clock rolled around, and it was time for everyone to leave. And not a moment too soon; Hux was fighting against an awful headache that had been plaguing him ever since History class.

"These are some good ideas, guys. We can work on them a little more at the next meeting."

Everyone began filing out of the room, gathering up their things and leaving in groups of twos and threes.

Kylo was the last one out, other than Hux. On his way out the door, he stopped and set down the piece of paper he had been doodling on in front of Hux, and continued on his way.

Hux picked it up and examined it carefully, his eyes wide with admiration.

It wasn't a "doodle".

Kylo had managed to capture an incredibly detailed, realistic picture of the entire group sitting around the table, discussing their possible paper contribution. In the picture, Hux was sitting rigidly in his chair, his coffee mug sending up little squiggles of steam, a pile of articles in front of him. Kylo had drawn him with his hands gesticulating in the air as he spoke to the other students.

The rest of the group had been depicted in highly realistic detail as well, sitting around the table. Some laughing, some arguing, some sitting up straight and some lounged all the way back against the wall. Coffee cups and soda cans dotted the table, mixed with notebooks and cellphones.

Towards the back of the picture, in the corner, Kylo had drawn himself, his long hair completely covering one eye and his face buried in his sketchbook.

Hux took a few more minutes to fully appreciate the work of art, before taking it and sliding it carefully into his folder.

This might make a good picture for the story, he thought to himself, as he began to tidy the room. That could be the theme, kind of: the kitchyness of struggling artists. Or, the creative processes people go through when making stuff like stories or poems or pictures. Or something like that.

His head was still full of planning, his ideas all swirling and colliding in his brain, when he closed the door and locked up for the afternoon.


	2. Chapter 2

Hux sat at the top of the steps leading up to the band hall, staring out at the students all leaving for their cars. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the pillar, listening to the muted rehearsal of the band behind the doors. They were practicing a series of symphonies, prepping for the school musical that was about a month away.

"Hey, man."

Hux opened his eyes, and found himself looking directly at Kylo Ren. He had his backpack slung over his shoulder and his sketchbook under one arm, and he was taking swigs from a water bottle.

"Hey," Hux replied, scooting over to make room for him on the stairs. "What are you still doing here?"

"Mr. Techa let me stay late, to work on one of my projects," he said, sitting and taking another pull of his water. "Nice of him but I wish the art room had more fans; it's like an oven in there. I'm sweating bullets."

Now he looked over at Hux curiously. "Why are YOU still here? Your car break down? You need a ride or something?"

"Thanks, but no. I'm waiting for my friend; I promised I'd give her a ride home. She has practice for like 30 more minutes," he explained, jerking his thumb at the doors behind them.

Kylo frowned. "Why don't you wait inside for her? It's so fucking hot out here!"

Hux shook his head. "It's not so bad if you sit still. And I like it right here; this is a good spot to hear the music."

Both boys were silent for a while, listening to the soft songs being practiced behind them.

Then Kylo turned towards Hux, looking anxious as he said, "So, um, Hux. I've been meaning to talk to you for awhile now."

"Oh?", Hux replied, also turning towards him. "What is it?", he asked, thinking it was going to be something about the club.

Instead, what came out of his mouth was enough to shock Hux into silence for a few moments.

"Do you, um, would you want to go out? With me? Sometime?"

Hux eyed him uneasily. "You mean like hang out? We hang out in creative writing, don't we?"

"Yeah," Kylo muttered, and began playing with the strings of his hoodie. "That's not what I meant, though. I mean like, hang out somewhere outside of school. Not in a group; just me and you."

"Oh," Hux said, as the meaning of Kylo's words struck home for him. "Are you talking about, um, like a ~date~?"

Kylo blushed, and immediately started to backtrack. "We don't have to call it that if you don't want to. If--if this isn't something you're into, it's cool, I'll back off. I just thought that, maybe, uh--"

Hux wasn't really sure what to say. He had never had a BOY ask him out before, and it was a bit confusing. If he were being honest with himself, he didn't truly KNOW if he was into that kind of thing, or not. He had never really had strong inclinations towards either sex.

Still, there was something about Kylo that was--intriguing. Hux didn't know much about him outside of creative writing club, and his artwork--but he thought he wouldn't mind getting to know more.

For these reasons, and a bunch more, he said "Sure," to the pleasantly surprised Kylo.

"Okay, cool," he said, smiling at him. "I promise I won't make it weird or anything. We can go get some food, or maybe hang out at the beach or something."

"Alright. When?"

"Does tomorrow work for you?"

"It depends on when. I've got to get the car back home by 7; my dad takes it to work."

"How about after school I follow you to your house with my car, so you can drop yours off, and we'll go from there?"

Hux nodded. "Okay. It's a deal. Tomorrow, after school."

"Okay. See you them."

Kylo turned and headed down the steps to his car, leaving Hux looking thoughtfully after him.

He was whistling.

-.-.-.-

The pier was about half a mile long, made of white-gray stones and aged bricks. Fisherman dotted the first half of it, near the areas where the fish were fertile. They constantly called out to each other, their voices muted by the wind as they heralded their catches and told other fishermen of particularly active spots.

Kylo and Hux had walked further down past these men, to a spot that was about halfway between the beginning of the pier and the small lighthouse at the end. There was a raised platform of rocks that separated the beginning from its curved end, and here the two boys sat, their legs dangling over the side, their pant legs rolled up to the knees to avoid their clothes getting wet from the water that splashed and misted enthusiastically below them.

Kylo pulled a crumpled pack of Marlboros from pocket, and drew out a cigarette. He held the pack wordlessly out to Hux, offering him one, but he shook his head no.

Kylo let out a string of curses as he tried (and failed) to get his lighter to flicker long enough to spark his cigarette. Hux noticed his struggle and held up his own hands in a protective cup around Kylo's hands, blocking the wind, and finally Kylo had some success.

"Here, switch sides with me, man, or the smoke is just gonna blow all in your face."

The two switched positions on the stone, and went back to the quiet again.

When Kylo was finished he flicked the stub into the water, pushing the loose hair from his face as took a long pull from his water bottle.

"Doesn't that taste gross?", Hux asked him.

"What? The water?"

"No, the cigarette taste mixed with water. Doesn't that put a bad taste in your mouth?"

Kylo shrugged. "It used to. Now I hardly notice it anymore."

"Does your mom know you smoke?"

Kylo sighed a little. "Yeah, she knows. She doesn't like it, and I'm not allowed to smoke inside the house, but she knows. But you know, I told her it could be worse. I could be on cocaine, or meth, or some weird shit like that."

Hux snickered. "Depressing way to look at it, but I guess that makes sense."

Kylo's sleeve was rolled up, and the arm facing Hux had what looked like a quote tattooed on it. Hux tilted his head and squinted, trying to read it. It wasn't easy because his glasses were slightly blurred with the mist coming off the water.

Kylo noticed his struggle, and grinned before he quoted his tattoo out-loud for Hux.

"Deep into that darkness, peering,  
Long I stood there, wondering, fearing."

" . . . doubting, dreaming dreams that no mortal dared to dream before.", Hux finished the end of that quote with a grin. "You like Edgar Allan Poe?"

"Not really; but I love that poem. I've got a friend that does these, for cheap. At the time I could only afford to get those two lines, but one day I'm gonna continue down my arm, and maybe extend to the leg, until I have the whole poem."

"Did it hurt?"

"Uh, a little bit. It's a lot like being pinched a bunch of times in a row, or like a bee sting, but hot. I didn't think it was so bad, though."

"Does your mom know you have THAT?"

"Yep. Actually she's less upset about this than she was about the smoking. Maybe that's cuz she and my dad both have tattoos. Kinda lame; it's just each others' names, but still."

Thinking a change of subject was needed, Hux said,

"Have you ever noticed before, the smell that comes from the water?"

Kylo wrinkled up his nose. "You mean the dead fish and the little kid piss from by the beach?"

"No! The smell that comes from the wind. It's almost like flowers, or pine trees, but like, not very strong."

Kylo closed his eyes and took an exaggerated breath.

"Sorry, I can't smell whatever shit you're talking about."

Hux looked at him with a grin. "Seriously? With a nose like THAT, I'd think you could smell everything clear to the next city."

"Ha, ha ha, haaaa. Very funny, jackass."

The two sat side by side in quiet for awhile, the only sound the wind and the faint twittering of the earbuds hanging around Kylo's neck. After awhile, Kylo looked over at Hux, and noticed for the first time that he appeared to be shivering.

"You know, you really need to wear more out here. You don't look like someone who does well in the cold."

"Probably. I don't like the cold."

"Well, I can see that. You're as skinny as a rake! If you don't like the cold, why'd you let me drag you out HERE?"

"I like the water. It's, I don't know, calming. Relaxing."

The lake seemingly chose to contradict him at that moment, as a particularly large wave splashed up against the rocks high enough to totally douse their dangling bare legs.

Hux cursed, and Kylo laughed as they scrambled into a standing position.

"And sometimes the water can be a real bitch," Kylo said, watching as Hux quickly unzipped his hoodie and used it to dab at his soaked skin.

The two began to head back, and Kylo suggested they stop at the snack shop and get something warm for Hux to drink.

Hux waited outside, still trying to dry his legs, as Kylo went into the shop. Really it was no bigger than a shack, so small on the inside that only two people at a time could come inside and order.

"Here," Kylo said, handing him a large cup of coffee. 

"You didn't get one?"

"No. I can't stand the smell of it, actually. But every time I see you, you always have some overpriced Starbucks thing in your hand, so yeah."

Ren popped the lid on his can of coke, taking a quick swig before jamming a handful of straws into the small opening.

Hux raised an eyebrow as he sipped at his coffee. "That's kinda overkill, isn't it?"

"Go big or go home, man."

They sat themselves down at one of the little umbrella-covered tables outside the shack, watching the activity around them. Across the field, just before the beach was a small park, with swings, a merry go round, and a large plastic slide. There was a few small kids pushing each other on the swings, while their mothers sat reading and talking on the bench.

Kylo had taken his sketchbook out of his backpack, and was busily drawing the scene at the park, looking up every now and then at people.

Hux watched him, and said "Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?", Kylo asked, distracted, not taking his eyes from his sketch.

"Um. Okay. So, you sorta asked me out, right? It's just, uh. And if I'm  
being really rude, or whatever, you can punch me if you want. It's just--I don't think I ever would have thought you were, uh--you know--?"

"Gay?", Kylo asked, now looking up at Hux.

"Yeah."

"That's not really a question; it's more like a statement."

"You know what I mean."

"Okay, to answer your non-question, I don't really consider myself gay. I mean, it's a word, right? I like girls, too, so I GUESS the 'proper' term is, bisexual. But I don't like that, either. Call me a hipster or whatever for saying this, but I don't like labels. I just like, I dunno, people. Boy or girl, if I like you, then I like you. Period."

"That's a good way to describe it," Hux said slowly, taking another sip of his coffee. 

"What about you?"

Hux shrugged, fiddling with the lid of his cup. "If I'm being really honest, I have no idea WHAT I am, or even what I like. I guess I'm  
just weird."

"Well, weird or not, I'm glad you came out here with me. You're very relaxing to be around. Kinda like the water."

"I am?"

"You are."

-.-.-.-

"I liked this," Kylo said timidly. "You're, uh, you're cool to hang out with."

They were sitting in front of Hux's house, in Kylo's car. Hux knew he should be getting in; even though his dad was already gone for work, he still had a bunch of homework to get started on. But he couldn't seem to make himself get out of the car.

"You're not so bad yourself.", he answered Kylo with a small smile.

Kylo tapped his fingers on his steering wheel nervously. 

"So would you think it creepy, or whatever, if I asked you out again?"

"Hm," said Hux, messing with his seatbelt. "I've got to be honest with you, Kylo, I'm still not sure how I feel about, uh, that."

"So how about we don't call it a date, or going out? How about we say, like, notadatedate? All one word, fast, notadatedate?"

Hux laughed at that. "I guess there's no harm in that. Notadatedate. Here, what's your number?"

Kylo told him, and Hux typed it into his phone, then sent him the letter H in a text. "There. Now you have my digits, text me and we'll figure out the next time we can have a notadatedate."

"Deal."

-.-.-.-

The second time they went out was on a Thursday, again after school. They caught an early showing of the latest comedy at the movies, and they had a lot of fun, guzzling popcorn and howling with laughter at how over-the-top cheesy the picture was.

Afterwards, Kylo suggested they pick up a couple of pizzas and hang out at his house for a while.

"Do you like the old-school Mario games?", he asked Hux as they got into Kylo's car.

"God, yes! But I haven't played them in forever." Now he looked over at Kylo excitedly. "Don't tell me you actually HAVE them?!"

Kylo grinned as he cranked on the air conditioning. "I do. A friend of mine is one of those tech nerds--you know, always fixing stuff and building things. Anyway she made this device that functions like an old school Nintendo, with built-in Mario 1, 2, and 3, Tetris, a whole bunch of shit."

"Seriously? You know, if you had told me this from the get-go, I'd have gone out with you a lot sooner," he teased as he buckled his seatbelt.

Kylo gave him a shy smile. "Good to know. So what kind of pizza are we getting?"

-.-.-.-

The boys had settled on Pizza Hut, and had bought two large pepperoni and sausage pizzas and a side of cheese sticks. As they pulled into Kylo's driveway, he did a double take.

"Oh; mom's car is here. She must be home early."

They went in through the back door and into the kitchen, with Kylo telling out "mom?" but receiving no answer.

"You have a dog?", Hux asked him, nodding towards the food and water dish sitting on the floor.

"We do, but he's not here right now. He's at work."

Seeing Hux's confused expression, he chuckled and said "My dad takes him with, sometimes, on his hauls. Calls him his co-pilot. Personally I wouldn't like riding around in that smelly truck listening to the same boring music all day long, but Chewie really seems to enjoy it."

"Hauls?"

"Yeah. He's a trucker. Him and my uncle Lando have a little business, transporting things for people all over the place. He's gone like 4 or 5 days a week."

Kylo set the pizza boxes down on the table, and stopped suddenly, peering into the living room. It was dark, with the tv going. A small figure was barely visible curled up in a quilt on the couch.

"Just a second."

Hux sat down at the kitchen table as Kylo crept into the living room, and gently awakened his mother.

"Mom? MOM," he said softly, shaking her by the shoulder. Her eyes opened and she looked around, confused.

"Ben, when did you get home?" She glanced at her watch and frowned. "7:30? Good Lord, I only meant to close my eyes for a few minutes. Here, let me come make you something to eat."

"No, no, mama, it's okay," Kylo said, shaking his head. "I have a friend over; we brought some pizza. Do you want a piece?"

"No thank you, baby. But can I meet your friend?"

Kylo rolled his eyes and grinned. "Sure, come on."

He led his mother into the kitchen, where Hux stood up immediately. "Mom, this is my friend Hux. We're both in creative writing club. Hux, this is my mom."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," Hux said, reaching over to shake her hand.

"Leia," she said with a smile. 

"Come on, mom, sit down with us and have some pizza. There's more than enough; we've got two. And cheese sticks."

Leia's face lit up. "You know I can't resist cheese sticks."

She sat at the table, yawning and stretching as Kylo went around finding paper plates, napkins, cups, and a bottle of soda from the refrigerator.

As they ate, she talked, lobbing questions at both Kylo and Hux with impressive speed. 

Hux was a little surprised, at the way Kylo was with his mother. With as often as he talked about her being away, and busy, he had thought that maybe he didn't get along with her so well. But it was quite the contrary; his relationship with her was obviously very loving. He was protective of her, and somewhat parent-like, jumping up himself to bring her things she wanted, and cajoling her to eat. 

"By the way, Ben, before I forget: I'm working late tomorrow, so I probably won't get home until midnight or so. If I make a list can you go to the grocery store for me after school?"

"Yeah mom. Sure."

"Thanks. You're a good boy, Ben," she said, leaning over and kissing his cheek. Kylo flushed pink with embarrassment, while at the same time looking very pleased.

"I've got a dentists appointment in the morning, so I'm going to get to bed," she said, standing and stretching. "It was nice to meet you, Hux."

"You too, ma'am."

"Leia, sweetie. Just Leia."

"You too, Leia," Hux said with a grin.

To Kylo she said, "I don't want you boys hanging out so late, now. You've got school tomorrow."

"I know, mom. But it's still early. We're just gonna play some games, then I'm driving Hux home."

"Okay. Be careful driving. And don't forget to put the empty boxes in the recycle bin before you go to bed."

He rolled his eyes, then kissed her cheek. "I know, I know. 'Night, mom."

She walked up the stairs and into her bedroom, and shut the door softly behind her.

When she was gone, Hux said, quietly, "I like your mom. She's so nice. And she actually came out here to eat with us."

Kylo raised an eyebrow at that last statement. "Yeah? So?"

"My dad would never do that. He'd come into the kitchen and say some shit like 'Eating garbage? Again?', and walk back out. He wouldn't even bother to ask your name."

Kylo looked at him, unsure of what to say. Eventually he responded with "That sucks."

"It does."

They settled themselves into the living room, and began to play Super Mario 3. Kylo enjoyed the way Hux's eyes lit up at hearing the near-forgotten melody of the game.

"I used to be really good at this," Hux said, his eyes on the screen as he worked the controller. "Like I knew all the cheats, like where the magic whistles were and how to get the coin ghost ship."

"I can tell you how to get the coin ship," Kylo said, and proceeded to guide Hux through the levels until he unlocked that bonus.

Eventually Hux's fingers got tired, and he offered the controller to Kylo, telling him he'd watch him play for a while.

As Kylo played, Hux looked around the living room. Kylo's house had a pleasant lived-in feel that was largely absent from Hux's meticulously clean and empty home. The big leather couch the boys were sitting on was worn, but soft. Next to it was a faded gray-black arm chair, with a colorful quilt draped over the back. The low square wooden table in front of the couch was full of surface nicks, and one of the legs was a bit wobbly.

But perhaps most interesting was the walls. 

All around the room, hung up in thick black frames, were a number of drawings and paintings. Some of landscapes, some of people, some looking like pages torn out of fantasy novels.

Hux got up and went around the room, peering closely at each piece of work.

"Did you do all these yourself?", he asked over his shoulder.

"Most of them, yes. Some are my grandfathers; but that's kind of a secret. My mom thinks I did them all. If she knew some were his, she'd throw them out."

Hux frowned, and came back to sit beside Kylo.

"Throw them out? Why?"

Kylo sighed, and launched into an interesting story about his mother's past.

"She's a twin, you know," Kylo says, his eyes on the game. She has a twin brother named Luke. Not identical twins, fraternal. Anyway, when they were born, their mother had complications afterwards and she ended up dying."

"Really? That's awful."

Kylo nodded slowly. "Yeah, but what's even more awful is that after their mother died, their father, my grandpa, decided that he 'couldn't handle' raising two infants on his own. So he convinced his step-brother and his wife to take them, adopt them."

"Seriously? Wow."

Kylo shrugged. "I suppose it could have been a lot worse. They could have ended up in foster care, or separated, or whatever. Anyway by the time they hit their 20's their mom and dad died in a fire. My moms got a bunch of newspaper clippings on it, in a big scrapbook, in case you're ever interested in a gory story."

Hux shook his head. "Nooo, thank you. That kind of thing freaks me out."

"Me, too. So yeah, their adoptive parents die, and you know, they cope, I guess. They both go to college and all that. My mom met my dad and got married, my uncle met a lady and did the same. Happy family and all that jazz."

"I was born, then a couple of years later my uncle and his wife had a daughter. My grandpa heard about this, and decided that then was a good time to try and make amends with his kids, get to know them, etc."

"My uncle was extremely receptive to the idea, and he started to spend a lot of time with my grandpa, getting to know him and 'bond' and all that stuff. But my mother was dead against it. She didn't want to have anything to do with grandpa, no matter what my uncle said or did."

"My uncle used to babysit me and my cousin while my parents were at work. He was a stockbroker and worked from home, so he had time for it. He used to take me and Rey, my cousin, to go see grandpa. But he never told my mom where he was taking us, because she would have said no. I was young, but I remember my grandpa really clearly. Very tall. Always wore dark colors. He was a smoker so his voice was always thick and deep, and he breathed really hard, even just sitting still. But I liked him. Rey was always kinda afraid of him, but I liked him."

"One of the things about him was that he could draw. The walls of his apartment were covered in pictures and paintings and sketches. I guess--I guess that's where I get MY drawing skills from. My uncle, too; he has some pretty decent artistic skills. I'm not sure if my mom can draw or not but I bet she can."

"When he died, I think I was around 6 or 7. My mom didn't even want to go to the funeral. She told my uncle that she had already gone to her "real" parents' funeral. So my uncle went, and when he came back, he had a whole box full of my grandpas work, that he said grandpa wanted me to have. I hid the box in my room, and each year I'll bring out 2 or 3 more things and put them up with my own work, telling my mom that it's mine."

Hux sat silently, thinking about Kylo's story. His family history seemed very rich and complicated, and it fascinated Hux to hear about the details that went into him as a person.

"I never knew my grandparents," he told Kylo, absently sipping at his can of Coke. "They died before I was born. The only relative we have any kind of contact with is my dad's sister, my aunt Gloria. I can't stand her, though. She's one of those super religious nuts that tries to shove Jesus down your throat every few sentences."

"Ugh. That sounds like my uncle Luke. When his wife left him and took his daughter, he kinda had a mental breakdown for a while. Went away without telling anyone, not even mom, where he was going. Comes back 5 years later skinnier, bearded, and suddenly really religious. He got his teaching degree in the time he was gone. Now he teaches over at St. James."

Hux made a face. He knew where St. James was, that catholic school across town, and he didn't like it. Something about the cold-looking building, the nuns walking around, the stiff uniforms, all have him the creeps.

Kylo saw the face he made and laughed. "I know how you feel. It freaks me out, too. You know I almost had to go there myself?"

"Really?" Hux couldn't picture that, couldn't picture Kylo in the uniformed white collared shirt and khaki pants, his hair cut short, no visible tattoos or piercings, no smoking--he couldn't see any of that.

"Yeah. Uncle Luke tried to convince my mom to send me there, said he could get her a really big discount on tuition."

"So what happened?"

"I just said no. I wanted to go to a normal public school like all my friends. Mom thought I'd get a better education at St. James, and she really tried to push me to go, but I kept saying No. and my dad actually backed me up, which helped."

"Well, that's good. You're lucky your parents are open to negotiating like that. With my dad, it wouldn't even be a discussion. He'd drag me there and carry me to my desk himself."

"That's pretty much what happened to my cousin. When she was about 12, she came to live with my uncle again. Something about him gaining custody. Anyway SHE wanted to go to the public schools too, but Luke wouldn't let her. And honestly I can't imagine anything worse; having to go there and see your dad every single day. You couldn't get away with shit."

Hux nodded thoughtfully, then glanced at his watch. 10:30.

"I hate to interrupt this party, but I really should be getting home now."

Kylo glanced up at the clock on the wall, and quickly switched off his game. "Shit, man, I'm sorry; I didn't realize it was so late."

Hux smiled, and gathered up his jacket and phone. "Time flies when you're having fun."

"I highly doubt that you listening to me blab about my family is 'fun'."

"Your family sounds a hell of a lot more interesting than MINE," Hux said as they headed to the car. 

"I guess."

The ride over to Hux's house was mostly silent, the radio giving a faint background to each of the boys' thoughts.

When they pulled up to the curb, Hux sat a minute. He was mulling something around in his mind, and wasn't sure if he had the courage to act on his impulse. 

Without giving himself time to stop and think about he, he leaned over across the creaking leather seats, put his hand on Kylo's shoulder, and kissed him softly on the cheek.

Kylo stared at him and put his hand to that cheek, his entire face having flushed pink in a blush. 

"Wh-why did you do that?"

"Because."

"Just--because?"

"Yep. Just because."

Kylo was quiet for a minute, then, smiling, he said,

"Soooo. If you're interested in another notadatedate, I've got front row tickets to the grocery store tomorrow afternoon, about 4. Sold-out show. Very exciting."

Hux smiled back, and chuckled.

"I'll be there."


	3. Chapter 3

Kylo and Hux made it a point to see each other a few times a week after that, getting to know each other better with each outing.

Eating, the beach, the arcade, the mall, movies, bowling--there was hardly anything left that they had yet to do together.

Yet for all the time they were spending together, each was unsure about where they stood with the other. Aside from that one cheek-kiss in the car, neither had attempted to initiate any more of that sort of physical contact. A combination of shyness and uncertainty kept them from pursuing a realm beyond friendship.

One night they were sitting in Hux's room, after his father had left for work. Hux was rearranging his room, and Kylo was helping him, arranging posters artfully on his wall and driving them in with thumbtacks.

"That's not even," Hux told him, his head tilted.

"I KNOW it's not even, Captain Obvious. But it looks better this way. Wait 'til I'm done, then you'll see."

So Hux watched as Kylo continued to hang up his posters. The end result was a looping spiral across the wall of posters, in varying sizes, splayed in a pretty asymmetrical pattern.

Hux stepped back to the opposite wall, to look at it, and Kylo stepped with him.

"See? What'd I tell you? Genius."

Hux rolled his eyes. "Okay, Mr. Modesty. But alright, I'll admit it, it DOES look really good."

Without warning, Kylo leaned over and kissed him once, very softly, on the lips.

"What are you--", Hux began, but was interrupted with another kiss. And another.

And another.

Finally Kylo broke away, saying, "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist anymore."

Hux leaned against the wall, touching his lips lightly but saying nothing. The silence was driving Kylo mad, and he was about to speak up and say something, anything, when Hux spoke first.

"I--I want to keep doing that. With you."

"What? Really?"

"I . . . uh, I like you, Kylo. A lot. More than a lot; I think I actually have a crush on you. You know I've never done this before, but, I'm willing to try if you are. Like, full-blown dating try."

Kylo smiled widely. "So, no more notadatedate's?"

"Exactly."

"Good. Because I like you, too."

Kylo pushed him against the wall, hard enough to hurt, and kissed him again.

"Ow! Goddamn, dude, take it easy. You break it you pay for it."

Kylo grinned and pulled a few crumpled dollars out of his pocket, and tossed it onto Hux's windowsill. 

"There. What will that buy me?"

Hux answered him by shoving him towards his bed, and climbing on top of him. "That'll get you at least 30 minutes of solid face-sucking time."

Kylo raised an eyebrow, and began to laugh. "This is probably the best bargain I've got in weeks. Hey, I think I've got a $20 bill in my wallet; would that buy me the whole night?"

"Shut up," Hux growled, leaning over and claiming Kylo's lips with his own.

-.-.-.-

Before he left that night, he went out on Hux's front stoop, to smoke a cigarette. Hux sat with him, leaning against him and putting his head on his shoulder. After another moment, Hux reached out and wrapped his arm around Kylo's waist.

Kylo glanced down at Hux's face and said, "You're not wearing your glasses. Are your contacts in?"

"Nope."

"Can you see? Like, if a raccoon came up and started nibbling our fingers, would you just squint and think it was a cat?"

Hux started to laugh, and the movement shook Kylo's body as well as his own. 

"Okay, first of all, a raccoon wouldn't just 'nibble' our fingers, he'd bite them clean off. And second, you weirdo, you CAN see, so YOU would see it's a raccoon, not a cat. Are you planning on just sitting there and letting it happen, or what?"

"Do you think I'd let something like that happen to my boyfriend?"

Hux looked down at him curiously. "Boyfriend? Is that what we are, boyfriends?"

"What would YOU call us?"

Hux shrugged. "I dunno, fuck-buddies, minus the fucking?"

"Well," Kylo chuckled, reaching over and patting Hux's knee, "We can remedy that oversight any time you're ready."

Hux's face turned red, and he felt flustered. "I'm, uh, I'm not . . . "

"No, I know. I'm not ready either. Maybe we'll get there someday, maybe not. But in the meantime, I think that /this/ constitutes /boyfriends/."

"Okay, cool," said Hux with a smile. "So what do we do? Wear each other's rings around a chain on our necks?"

"Christ, no. This isn't the 1950's, douche."

"Then, uh, change our Facebook status?"

"I'd agree, IF I had a Facebook. But I haven't been on mine since like, freshman year. 

"Then what do we do?"

"Nothing, I guess. Or the same shit we do now, with kissing and some ass-slapping thrown in."

Hux laughed. "You slap my ass and I'll break your goddamn arm off."

-.-.-.-

It went on like that for several weeks. After school, they would go over to one or the other's house, eat, do homework, and spend a good deal of time exploring their newfound passion for each other.

They hadn't tried to move anywhere past the kissing and occasional groping, although both were really curious, about what that would be like. But sex would have been something monumental for them, and neither was quite ready to open the door of their relationship THAT far.

At least, not yet.

Alone, they were perfect together. But they had still to reveal their attachment to either of their families.

Right off the bat, Hux told Kylo that there was "No way in hell" that he could tell his father that he was with Kylo.

"Are you kidding me?", he asked Kylo incredulously. "You know what my dad is like; he gets angry if I tell him I got a C on a math test. I can't imagine coming up to him and going 'Hey dad I want you to meet my boyfriend'; he'd probably kill me."

Kylo's mother was a different story.

One day they had been sitting on the floor of Kylo's living room, playing Mario Kart together and shit-talking each other over wins and losses, when Kylo's mother called out to them from the kitchen.

"Boys? Come in here for a second."

They had looked at each other and paused their game, going into the kitchen. Kylo thought she was going to ask them to run to the grocery store, or something. Hux thought she was going to yell at them for being too loud with the game.

Instead, as they entered the kitchen, she turned around in her chair and faced them.

She was quiet a minute, obviously in thought; then she said, in her low voice,

"Is there anything, that either of you, would like to tell me?" She searched Kylo's face, then Hux's, with her warm brown eyes. "Anything at all? Either of you?"

Both boys stood there, completely unsure of what she was talking about. Then Kylo said "Oh!", and went on, "I'm guessing you finally saw the dent on the passenger door of the car? Mom I can explain; it was that day we went to the grocery store, and--"

"Dent on the car? What? No," she interrupted him, shaking her head. She folded her arms and looked at them.

"Ben, you know I love you, right? That no matter what, nothing would change that?"

"Y-yeah?", Kylo stuttered, now totally confused as to where this was going.

"Hux. You know that I think you're a nice young man, right?"

"I . . . uh, yes?"

"I know I'm not home all that often, but when I am here: have I ever given you cause to dislike me, or mistrust me? Or make you nervous?"

"N-no, of course not," Hux answered, although now he DID feel nervous, without knowing why.

Leia smiled.

"Then why has neither of you told me that you're dating? Or, yeah, they still call it dating, right?"

Both boys stood in stunned silence before her. Hux had blushed as red as his hair, and Kylo had started to sweat. He felt like he would pass out from shock, and he sat himself down quickly across from his mother.

"How did you know that?", he asked her quietly. He and Hux always took great lengths to conceal their romance when Leia was around, acting as normally as possible when in her eyesight, and saving all their mushy stuff for behind Kylo's closed bedroom door.

Hux sat down next to Kylo, also feeling shock, and waited for Leia's answer.

"I didn't catch on as soon as I should have, maybe," she said, tapping her fingers lightly along the table's edge, "But it finally dawned on me last week. There's, I don't know, something about the way you look at each other. It reminds me of how your father used to look at me, when we first started dating a hundred years ago." Here she paused, smiling wistfully at the memory.

"And you're . . . you're okay with this?" Kylo asked her timidly, glancing at Hux.

"All I want is for you to be happy, baby. And I don't want you, either of you, to feel like you have to hide when I'm here. Ever. Understand?"

Kylo's eyes had teared up, and he got up to hug his mom tightly. "What about dad?", he whispered, his voice shaking just the slightest bit. "I don't . . . I don't think I could tell him."

She patted her son's back and kissed his cheek. "Your dad loves you, Ben. The same as I do. When you're ready, if you want, I'll help you tell him. But I promise it won't be as bad as you think."

She turned from him and held out her other arm towards Hux. "Come on; if you're part of this family for ANY length of time, you get hugs, too. It's the rule."

Hux laughed and got up, going into her arms. She held them both for a few minutes, squeezing, before releasing them.

"Okay, okay, enough of this Dr. Phil moment. I'm hungry, and I don't feel like cooking. One of you find the menu for Hung Lo's; we're getting Chinese."

-.-.-.-

"I don't get what you're so upset about."

"I'm NOT upset! How many times do I have to say that to you?!"

"So I guess you've just smoked 7 cigarettes in a row out of happiness ?"

Kylo scowled, but said nothing.

They had been sitting outside, earlier, out on the band room steps again. Hux had promised to drive his friend home again, and Kylo was waiting with him. Some of Kylo's friends had come out of the building and sat, talking to them both.

During the course of the conversation, Kylo had reached over, casually, and grabbed Hux's hand. Without even really thinking about it, Hux had immediately pulled his hand away. Kylo had looked at him, and hadn't said anything on it at the time. Now, however, back at Hux's house, it was clear that Kylo was rather angry.

"You're upset because I didn't hold your hand."

"That's not it."

Hux said nothing, just continued to give him that silent stare until Kylo said, finally,

"Okay, yeah, that just irritated the fuck out of me."

Hux reached over and grabbed Kylo's hand, and squeezed it hard enough to hurt.

"There. Is that better?"

Kylo ripped his hand away and stood up, gesturing angrily as he spoke.

"That's NOT IT, Hux. It's like, I don't know, you did that in front of my friends. It made me feel like you're embarrassed of me, or ashamed to do that kind of shit in public."

"Is this something you WANT, like, public?"

"Why are you saying it like that? Like it's something bad?"

"No. I'm not. I'm just not sure. I've never done this before, even with a girl, before you get that in your head. Like, is holding hands something you want? Or kissing against the lockers like those fucking a-holes from basketball do every day?"

"Maybe."

"I don't know, man. Even if this was normal, I don't think I'd do that. I never got the point of holding hands or swapping spit in front of everybody. Like, what's the point? Who are you showing off for?"

Kylo narrowed his eyes into a glare. "What do you mean, 'if this was normal'? We ARE normal."

When Hux didn't say anything, Kylo began to gather up his things.

"So sticking your tongue down my throat is fine when we're alone, with the door closed, but if I want to freakin' hold your hand at school, you're ashamed."

"I never said that! I SAID--"

"You don't have to SAY it! It's all over your goddamn face!"

He left without another word, leaving Hux siting numbly on the bed and staring at the open door.

-.-.-.-

The next morning, his head still a mess, Hux quickly got ready for school. He was worried; usually by now Kylo had at least sent him a "good morning" text, but his phone remained silent.

By the time he got to school, his unease continued as he saw Kylo wasn't waiting for him by his locker, like he usually was.

Hux knew he would have to do something to gain Kylo's favor again, but he wasn't sure what, or how to do it.

Fifth period came, and Hux started on his way to Human Biology class. He paused, as he always did, in front of the lunchroom, and looked in through the windows.

He and Kylo didn't share the same lunch period; Kylo occupied the one that was an hour earlier than Hux's, which was sixth period. The warning bell rang, and Hux watched as the other students filed into the cafeteria.

You need to get to class, Hux told himself.

You need to get in that cafeteria, and to hell with class, he answered himself. 

He spotted Kylo in the middle of the room, sitting on top of one of the wide tables and talking to a group of his friends.

Hux steeled himself and marched in, making a beeline straight to him.

"Hux," Kylo said when he got close, looking surprised. "What are you--"

Hux interrupted him by roughly grabbing his face between his hands and planting an enormous kiss on his lips, in front of everybody. Kylo's eyes went wide with shock, and he was so taken off guard that he couldn't unfreeze his brain to react, or kiss him back. His friends had mixed reactions, from staring to snickering to friendly teasing to clapping.

Hux pulled away with a smile, then leaned back in and kissed him  
again, three times in quick succession. He climbed up on to the table with him and sat next to him. Then he grabbed Kylo's hand and laced their fingers together, holding it very tightly. 

They stayed that way for the rest of the period. Kylo continued to talk to his friends, eat, drink, laugh, and sketch with his free hand.

But no matter what he did, Hux refused to let go of his other one.

When the bell rang, and Kylo had to leave for his own class, he raised their joined hands and lightly kissed each of Hux's knuckles. Then he gathered his things and left, a goofy smile plastered all over his features.

Hux sat down to await his friends, that same smile on his own face.


	4. Chapter 4

"Kylo, what are you doing?!"

It was Saturday, and Hux had driven himself over to Kylo's house, to see if he wanted to go hang out somewhere. When he got there, he found the front door propped open with a book (airing out the house, as Kylo put it), so he stepped inside, calling out his boyfriend's name.

Kylo was rushing at a dizzying speed around his house, picking up empty cans, newspapers, plates and the like and hurrying to put things in their appropriate places.

"I've got to clean up, and quick. My dads coming home tonight. My mom called and said he'll be here, and I wasn't expecting him 'til the middle of next week."

"So what--"

"If the house looks like shit when he gets home, he gets all angry and takes my car away from me. He's always bitching about how it's my job to help mom and keep shit clean. So I've got to do this, then I've got to get my ass outside and mow the lawn; something else I was gonna put off for a few days."

Hux shook his head. "You know, if you didn't put everything off til the last second all the time . . ."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kylo said, nearly tripping over the coffee table on his way to the kitchen, carrying an armload of dishes.

Hux walked in and put his hand on his shoulder. "I can help, you know. Let me finish up in here, so you can go out and get the grass done."

"Really?"

"Yes. Go; the way you're running around in here is making me nervous."

Kylo kissed him quickly, started to head out the door, turned around, came back in and kissed him again, this time making it last a while longer.

Eventually Hux pushed him off with a grin. "GO."

Hux heard the sound of the lawnmower start up, as he began to tidy up the rooms. He grabbed some dust rags and lemon pledge, and carefully went over every visible surface, spending the most time on the dining room table. He ran the vacuum cleaner across the carpet, and swept the kitchen floor. He washed the handful dishes in the sink, and put them in the strainer to dry. Finally, he bagged up the garbage and put it in the can outdoors, waving at Kylo who had just started in on mowing the backyard.

He looked around at everything, pleased with the work he had done. He sat down at the kitchen table and started to play Candy Crush on his phone, waiting for Kylo to finish.

Before long the sound of the mower cut off, and Kylo came in, sweaty, with bits of grass stuck to his pant legs and his arms.

"Jesus, you look awful. You look like fucking Shrek."

Kylo stuck up his middle finger at him, then said, playfully, "I guess I'm just a dirty boy."

Hux grinned, and stood up by him, wrapping his arms around his waist. "You are. Absolutely filthy."

He leaned up, and whispered seductively in Kylo's ear, "Do you know what happens to dirty boys?"

"W-what?", Kylo whispered back, his lips quivering slightly.

Hux leaned up again, and bit down gently on the lobe of Kylo's ear, before saying, in that same seductive voice,

"They go and take a shower.", before walking away from him and sitting back at the table.

"God, I hate you, Hux. I really do."

"I know. Now go; you're starting to look like the swamp thing."

Kylo walked through the kitchen and towards the stairs in the living room, calling out over his shoulder to Hux about how nice the house looked.

-.-.-.-

A few hours later found them playing games in the living room, while Leia made food in the kitchen. She had invited Hux to stay for dinner, and Hux had accepted because, amongst other things, Mrs. Solo was an excellent cook.

Kylo was unusually quiet, for him, and Hux could tell that he was a little nervous. This would be the first time his dad would meet Hux, and he wasn't sure how he was going to react to the news that they were dating.

Hux had told him that if he wasn't ready, he didn't have to tell his dad just yet. Kylo had shaken his head at that, reaching out to grab Hux's hand.

"No time like the present," he had said, squeezing his fingers before letting go.

At last the time came. Hux could hear the sound of a large vehicle pull into the driveway, and a pair of boots scraping up the gravel towards the back door.

A tall, slender man walked into the doorframe, scraping his boots on the mat outside before stepping into the kitchen. He had short, gray-brown hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a rugged, charming face. He was wearing a pair of stiff blue jeans, a white shirt with a worn-looking brown vest on top.

He went straight to his wife, whose back was turned as she bent over the stove, and grabbed her around the waist. 

"Lucy, I'm home," he whispered, kissing the back of her neck. She turned around and kissed him playfully on the lips. 

"Hi, Ricky. How were things at the Club?"

"Good, good. But I'm glad to be home."

"Me, too," she said, kissing him again.

He let go of her and went to the sink, washing his hands. "Where's my son at?"

"He's in the dining room. He's got a friend over for dinner, so don't strip down to your skivvies just yet."

"Yes, dear. Is dinner almost ready?"

"I'm just finishing up. Shouldn't be more than 15 minutes at the most."

Meanwhile, a large, shaggy brown dog had gone flying through the kitchen and made a mad dash to Kylo in the dining room. He jumped up on him, nearly knocking him out of his chair and slobbering all over his face.

"Okay, Chewie, okay buddy! I missed you too!", Kylo exclaimed, trying to pat the wriggling dog.

Chewie turned his attention to Hux, and sniffed at him curiously. "Chewie, this is Hux. Say hello."

The dog went on sniffing, and Hux cautiously put out his hand and patted him on the head. Chewie wagged his tail and licked Hux's fingers, before trotting off back into the kitchen, to his food bowls.

Kylo's dad walked into the dining room, wiping his hands on a small towel.

"Benny boy!", he exclaimed, smiling down at his son. "Come here, give your old man a hug!"

Kylo went to his dad and awkwardly hugged him, while Han peered over his shoulder at Hux, who was still sitting at the table.

"Hi," he said as he released his son, who went back to his seat. "I'm world renowned traveler and stunningly handsome heartthrob Han Solo, aka Ben's dad."

He held out his hand, and Hux shook it firmly.

"And you are--?"

Before Hux could open his mouth, Kylo blurted out, nervously, "This is Armitage Hux; Hux for short. He's, uh, this is my--boyfriend, dad."

"Your--your what, now?"

"Boyfriend. He's my boyfriend."

Han looked at his wife, moving busily back and forth in the kitchen, and back to Kylo. "How long has this been going on?"

"We've been going out for almost two months now, I guess."

"Huh."

Han turned his attention fully towards Hux, looking him over carefully.

"Are you a senior, too?"

"Yes, sir."

"You have plans to go to college after school?"

"I do, yeah. I'm thinking about going to the community college here first for two years, building up my credits and saving money, before transferring to a big school."

"What do you want to be?"

"I'm not really sure, but I've always been into politics, and writing. So hopefully something involving those two things; maybe something with the government."

Han nodded thoughtfully. "That's smart," he muttered to himself.

"So, dad, are you, like, okay with--with this?", Kylo piped up from his seat next to his father.

"It, uh, this is just a surprise, Ben. But, uh, I just have to get used to it, that's all.

Kylo started to cough, nervously, and Han looked at him with a frown.

"Good Lord, Ben; that sounds awful. And you're only 17! You're still smoking those death sticks?"

Kylo rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm still smoking those 'death sticks'. But that's not why I'm coughing; I've had a cold for like a week now."

"A cold. Sure." He turned to Hux, and said, "You don't smoke, too, do you?"

"No, sir."

"Good. Don't start. And convince my son to quit, please."

"I can TRY," Hux responded with a grin, "But he's really, really stubborn."

"Tell me about it," Han said, and suddenly gave Hux a real smile. "I have no idea where he gets that, from."

"Yeah, okay, dad."

Han reached over and mock-punched his son's shoulder, then playfully ruffled his hair.

"Leia! Where's the food? We're starving in here!"

-.-.-.-

It was dark, with a chill wind blowing the smoke from the fire pit around the small group of people.

It was Kylo's parents' anniversary, and Kylo and Hux threw them a small party, inviting a handful of their closest family, friends and neighbors to a barbecue.

The sun had set hours ago, but everyone remained outside, laughing and talking and eating and drinking. The fire roared in the pit, replenished often with sticks and bits of firewood and leaves. A crescent moon hung low in the western sky, surrounded by a few wispy clouds.

Hux watched as Kylo's parents sat on the far side of the fire, whispering to each other and giggling like teenagers. Every now and then Kylo's dad would plant a kiss on his wife, and she would reciprocate until they were all but making out in the twilight.

"Pretty gross, huh?", Kylo asked as he came up behind him with a can of Coke, which he handed to Hux.

"What? Your parents?"

"Yeah." Kylo wrinkled up his face in a grimace. "I've been watching; he's had his hand on her behind for a solid half hour, now."

Hux smiled and laughed a little. "I think that's fucking awesome. Your parents--they're so in love. It's crazy that you can be married that many years and still want to grope all over each other like kids."

"Yeah, I guess it is pretty neat. Not looking forward to having to plug my ears later tonight, though. I know from past experience where all that touching is heading. They, uh, can be quite loud."

Hux stuck out his tongue in a mock-gag. "Dude, ugh."

He looked across the fire and around at the rest of the group. Kylo's uncle Lando was playing cards with Luke (and losing, judging by the look on his face). 

Kylo's cousin Rey was sitting snuggled against Finn, wearing his oversized jacket as the two of them watched videos on her phone. A handful of neighbors were going back and forth between watching the card game, eating, and dancing to the music coming from the boom box.

Chewie was trotting around, going up to everyone to see if they had any leftover food on them. When he struck out he eventually came and laid down by Hux and Kylo, stretching himself out in front of their feet.

The introductions made to this little group of Kylo's family and neighbors had been almost as painless as when he met his parents. There was an acceptance here, a refreshing "no big deal" attitude that he would have killed to have gotten from his own father. He hadn't even told him that Kylo was his boyfriend, yet, despite the fact that they had been going out for nearly half a year and his dad had met him several times now.

He had thought that he might run into some interference from Kylo's uncle Luke, whom Kylo had described as being 'very religious' before. Yet he had seemed as open and accepting as the rest of the group, which Kylo said was probably due entirely to his daughter.

Rey was possibly the nicest, sweetest girl Hux had ever met before, and quite pretty. Her tiny features and short stature gave her the appearance of a living doll. She spoke in a soft, European-accented voice (which Kylo explained she picked up from her mother, who was British) and was eagerly helpful in helping Kylo and Hux prepare food and set up everything for the party.

She had her boyfriend, Finn, with her; a fellow student at St. James. He was a friendly, but somewhat quiet, young man, whose obvious devotion to Rey was quite sweet. He hung on her every word, held her hand, and constantly stared at her as if she were the most magnificent being in the universe.

Which was almost as intense as the way Kylo looked at Hux.

He was staring at him now, in that way he had that made Hux's knees feel like they were going to buckle.  
He leaned over and whispered, "Do you think anyone would notice if we snuck out for a while?"

Hux looked around carefully at the others. "No; they all look pretty occupied with other things."

Kylo smiled and grabbed Hux's hand, pulling him to his feet and leading him through the darkness around to the front of the house.

The boys got in Kylo's car and pulled off down the street.

"Where are we going?", Hux asked him curiously.

Kylo looked over at him. "I was thinking we'd go to the beach, for a while. I keep thinking how pretty it'll look in the moon."

He gestured to the backseat. "My gray hoodie is back there; put it on over yours so you won't be cold."

-.-.-.-

Kylo had been right; the beach was stunning in the nighttime. 

The bright crescent moon gave the sand a ghostly, ethereal quality, and the water looked dark and shining. The faint green light on top of the lighthouse blinked comfortingly, and the breeze was surprisingly gentle, although a bit chilly.

They walked up and down the shoreline in the dark, hand in hand, watching the way the waves ate up their footprints as soon as they stepped away from them.

Eventually they sat down in a little sand-hollow pushed some distance away from the water, and looked up at the stars.

"There's so many of them," Kylo said in a hushed tone, his eyes scanning the wide sky. "Don't you think it's a little scary?"

"Scary, how?"

"I don't know, just scary. Like, okay, imagine there's life on those stars or planets. And they're looking at us right now, the way we're looking at them. Only maybe they have like, super-advanced telescopes so they can REALLY see us; like our faces and everything."

Hux laughed softly. "I guess that WOULD be scary--bunch of pervert aliens spying on us."

Kylo laughed too; and Hux was blown away by how beautiful he looked, his dark hair and eyes framed against the silvery light.

He took a deep breath, then another, and said,

"How about--how about we give those aliens something to see?"

Kylo looked at him, and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Hux answered him by capturing his mouth in a passionate kiss, his hands smoothing back Kylo's hair as he scooted closer into him. He gently pushed him backwards into the sand, and moved his lips from Kylo's mouth to his neck, kissing down it slowly. Kylo shuddered beneath him, and felt his heart start racing when he realized that Hux had his hand on his belt buckle, pulling it loose.

"Hux--", he said, as he realized what Hux was trying to do, "Are you, are you sure you're READY for this?"

"Hux stopped kissing him and looked him in the eye.

"Are YOU?"

"I--I think so."

Hux took Kylo's hand and placed it over his chest. "My heart is beating really hard."

"So is mine."

"So--we'll go as slowly as we need, and take our time. Deal?"

Kylo craned his neck up, sinking them into another warm, sweet kiss.

"Deal."

-.-.-.-

They made it home a little before 1am, and, luckily for them, the party-goers were just then starting to leave. It appeared that none of them had missed the boys, or even noticed that they had left.

When the last of the guests had said their goodnights, Leia immediately began to gather up the food and garbage that had accumulated around the fire pit. Kylo saw her and stopped her, taking the items back out of her hands.

"You don't have to worry about that, mom, we'll clean up."

"Thank you, baby. And thank you both for this party; it was so sweet of you!"

She hugged them both, and frowned a little when she let go of Kylo.

"Ben--is that, sand?", she asked, brushing off the front of her blouse. "Why in the world are you covered in sand right now?"

Before Kylo could think up an answer, his dad saved the day by creeping up behind his wife and lifting her off her feet, ignoring her squeals as he carried her inside.

Hux watched them go, before turning to Kylo with a smile. "I think I lost my contacts at the beach, so everything's a little fuzzy. You gonna tell me if a raccoon is sneaking up on me in the dark?"

"I'll consider it--for a price."

Hux put his hands on Kylo's shoulders and gave him a warm, smacking kiss.

"Okay," he said, picking up a garbage bag, "Let's get to work."


	5. Chapter 5

The two boys sat, heads down, in the principal's office. To the left of them sat Kylo's mother and father. To the right, Brendol Hux, Hux's dad, red-faced and angry.

Yesterday, both boys had had classes on the second floor; Kylo had math, Hux had history. By a remarkable coincidence, both boys had asked to go to the bathroom from their respective classes, and met, with surprise, in the dingy little boy's room.

After they had peed, Kylo had stuck his head outside the door, to see if anyone was around. The hall was dead-silent, nobody in sight anywhere.

"Let's make out."

"What? Why?"

Kylo shrugged. "Because, we're all alone, and I like your lips?"

"Dude, can't it wait 'til later? For Christssakes, we're in the fucking bathroom!"

"I know. That makes it kinda exciting, doesn't it?"

"I don't know--what if someone walks in?"

Kylo rolled his eyes and sighed. "So we'll go in a bathroom stall," he said, pushing open the door of the nearest one. "Please? Just for a few minutes?"

Hux sighed and walked into the stall ahead of Kylo.

They began to kiss, and, despite Hux's initial discomfort, they both really got into it.

So into it, in fact, that they didn't hear the footsteps of Mr. Barta, the sophomore science teacher, as he entered the room. Nor did he hear the gasp he let out as he noticed the two pairs of feet under one bathroom stall, and heard the soft moaning noise that Kylo was making.

They weren't aware that anyone had seen or heard anything at all, until they stepped outside the stall and outside the bathroom, coming face to face with the stricken-looking Mr. Barta.

Despite their repeated protests that they were just kissing, their parents were called regardless, and now they all sat together in Principal Lewis' drab little office.

"I don't understand; WHY are they being suspended?", Leia asked indignantly. "What did they do that was so bad? Kissing? Are you serious?"

"Ma'am, they were sneaking out of their classrooms, for one. Second, --"

"To go to the bathroom!", Leia erupted angrily. "They didn't 'sneak out'; they had permission from both of their teachers to go!"

" -- and second," Mr. Lewis continued, "They were caught sharing the same bathroom stall, and the teacher who walked in reported clearly hearing kissing noises. Now, I know this is a delicate subject, but: both of these boys are known to be together, throughout the school. Do you really expect me to believe that they didn't pre-plan to meet, and that they weren't ready to engage in activity a bit stronger than 'kissing'?"

"If that's what they said, then yes, I DO. These are both good kids; they don't cause trouble, they get good grades, and you want to demonize them for doing something all young kids in love do?"

"Mrs. Solo; regardless of your personal feelings on the matter, we do have rules for codes of conduct at this school, and--"

"Why are you all talking about this, as if it's NORMAL?", Brendol, who had been silent up until this point, asked. "You call two boys doing ANYTHING alone in a bathroom stall, 'normal'? Whether they were 'just kissing' or they WERE getting ready to screw, nothing about either situation is 'normal'!"

"This is your kids fault," he continued in a growl, glaring at Han and Leia. "My son was never into this gay shit before he met THIS little queer over there," he said angrily, jerking a thumb in Kylo's direction.

Han jumped out of his seat, and was seconds away from punching Brendon's face until Kylo threw his arms around him and tackled him back.

"I've been like this for a long time, dad," Hux said quietly, not looking up. 

"No, you haven't," Brendol insisted stubbornly, shaking his head. "You were perfectly normal before--before THIS."

"How the hell would you know, what I'm like?! You're NEVER there!"

"I WORK, kid! Excuse the hell out of me for working to put clothes on your back and food in your mouth!"

"Even when you don't work, you never want anything to do with me! We don't even eat dinner together!"

Brendol stood up angrily. "That's right, blame me for everything. You think you know better than me? You think you can do whatever the fuck you want? Fine. You're 18 now; get out. I'm not gonna have a sissy bitch living under my roof. You have one week to find somewhere else."

He turned and stormed out of the room, leaving his son in a shell-shocked silence behind him.

The principal got up and hurried after him, trying unsuccessfully to get him to come back.

Leia was still crying, and Han was shaking with poorly concealed rage.

Kylo ignored them and went to Hux, kneeling beside his chair.

"This is all my fault--I'm so, so sorry, Hux."

Suddenly, without warning, and completely unaware that he was going to do so, Hux burst into tears, loudly, shrilly.

Kylo wrapped his arms around him and held him closely, running his hands gently through his hair.

Han looked around himself at the group, and inexplicably began to laugh. Leia looked at him in amazement, ready to hit him for being so insensitive, when he spoke up.

"Well, that settles it."

Everyone looked at him curiously, and he went on:

"Hux. You are moving in with us."

He turned to Leia and said, "You know my office that you say I never use? Well, we're gonna use it, now. A little work and it'll make a great spare bedroom.

Kylo and Hux were both looking at him in awe, jaws dropped.

Kylo was the first to close his, then open it again to ask "Dad--are you being serious? Do you mean it?"

"Am I ever not serious?", he asked back, a smile on his face.

"There would have to be rules, though;" Leia piped up, wiping away tears, a watery smile on her face. "You would have to keep up with your schoolwork, and you'd have a curfew, like Ben. Chores, too. And separate bedrooms; at least until Ben hits 18," she said with a wink.

Both boys nodded eagerly, Hux saying "I can handle all that."

Kylo leapt up and hugged his dad, hard enough to hurt his ribs. Han laughed and patted his son's back.

"Easy, Ben, easy. Jeez if I knew that THIS would be all it took to get a real hug from you . . ."

Hux stood up as well, and shook Mr. Solo's hand. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate this, sir."

Han shrugged. "You're a good kid; and my boy really likes you. And so do I", he added, gruffly.

The principal came back in at that moment, after being unsuccessful at getting Brendol to return to the room. He looked around curiously at the changed faces of those he had left behind, wondering about the obvious change in attitude.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, then went on talking about how a three day suspension was necessary, and he'd make sure the boys' teachers sent them their homework each day, etc.

Kylo was listening, but just barely. He had gone through so many emotional ups and downs in the past hour alone that he felt absolutely exhausted. He glanced over at Hux, who was paying more attention than him, but looking just as tired, if not more so.

He looks so tense, he thought to himself, as he gazed at the redhead's face. I'll have to give him a massage or something when we get home.

Huh--when WE get home.  
I like that.

He reached over and grabbed Hux's hand, and held it for the rest of the meeting. 

Eventually they left, heading back towards the car. As Leia walked ahead, Han hung back a bit with the boys, keeping his voice low.

"Seriously, boys, we're going to have to have a long talk about what constitutes proper sexual behavior--in public, at least. But I guess I can't blame you TOO much. You know when I was in high school, there was this little space underneath the bleachers on the football field, and me and my girlfriend at the time used to--"

"Ugh, dad, gross!", Kylo exclaimed, plugging his ears.

"Also, if I had gotten suspended from school, MY father would have kicked my ass," Han said with a grin on his face. "And you boys should definitely NOT get off punishment-free, on this. So--we're going to get tacos."

"Tacos? How is that a punishment, dad?"

"SPICY tacos, Benny-boy. And it'll 'punish' you soon enough, once it hits your intestinal tract."

-.-.-.-

"Blowjobs in the bathroom, huh? Wow. I've gotta say, honestly, I never would have thought you'd have it in you, Hux. Props."

Hux rolled his eyes and sighed through his nose. It was about a week after he and Kylo had returned to school, and the rumors about their suspension STILL hasn't died down yet.

He was tempted quite often to just stand up in the middle of a class, or the lunchroom, and tell everyone to fuck off and mind their own goddamned business. Classmates, teachers, and friends alike.

He was TEMPTED, but he never did it.

"It wasn't a blowjob," he explained, for what seemed like the millionth time, to his friend Derek. "We were just kissing. That's all."

((Although, he had to admit to himself that if Mr. Barta hadn't walked in, that's probably where their kissing would have ended up. Not that anyone needed to know that.))

"Kissing--in a closed bathroom stall?", Derek asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, we didn't want anyone to see us. But I guess you know how THAT turned out; fuckin' Mr. Barta comes in, sees both of our feet, and assumes we were getting ready to fuck."

"Seriously, though, what a way to come out."

"I wouldn't call it 'coming out', really. I mean, coming out to WHO? My friends already knew, and his friends did, too. So did his parents. Everyone else in this school I could give two shits less about knowing."

"Anyway, I KNOW your dad must have been mad. His parents too. Are you even allowed to see him, still?"

Hux scowled, glaring at his friend. "What do you mean, 'allowed'? I'm 18 years old; technically that means I'm an adult and can do what I want."

"Well yeah, but HE'S not 18, is he? Isn't he like 16?"

"17. And his parents are fine with it, so--"

"Well, that's good."

Hux nodded in agreement, and went back to picking at his lunch. The past few weeks had been somewhat stressful for him, leaving him feeling tired and without much of an appetite.

He couldn't bring himself to tell Derek, or any of his friends, about his new living arrangement with Kylo's family. He was deeply ashamed of that. Not ashamed of living with his boyfriend, which in and of itself was wonderful, but ashamed and hurt about how his father had treated him, and was still treating him, in regards to the situation.

He and Kylo had gone over to Hux's former house one evening, when Hux was sure his father would have left for work. They gathered up Hux's things and loaded them into boxes.

Pillows, blanket, clothes, stereo, laptop, books, video games, pictures--for all that Hux had, they were able to pack it away and load the car fairly quickly, taking just a little under two hours to complete it all.

When they were through, Hux stood in the entryway for a long time, as Kylo waited for him in the car. He didn't know whether he would ever come back to this place again. At the moment, his father was still not speaking to him, and hadn't made any attempts to respond to the numerous texts and voicemails his son left him, trying to make amends. He had had Hux's aunt call him to tell him what day he could come and pick up his things.

He was mostly silent on the drive back, his mind busy with thoughts of his father, and their failed relationship.

When they got back, Kylo did something very sweet. He ran around to the side of Hux's door, yanking it open with a grin.

"What are you doing?"

"Before we carry your stuff in, I want to do something. Humor me, please."

"Okay? What?"

Kylo held out his arms, and said, with a wide smile, "I want to carry you through the door."

"What the fuck? Why?"

"Because you're moving in, and it's like, you're mine now. And I just want to carry you through the door. Just once; please?"

Hux shook his head and leaned away from him. "Are you crazy? I think I'd be too heavy for you and you'd drop me on my ass."

"With as skinny as you are? Doubt it. Now come on, at least let me try."

Hux sighed, and skeptically allowed Kylo to lift him out of the car and into his arms. They made it about halfway across the yard before Kylo stumbled over a rock, pitching them both to the ground.

It hurt, but neither of them could stop laughing. Hysterical, braying whoops as they lay sprawled out in the dark, on the chilly, damp grass. 

"God, Hux, you're fatter than I thought," Kylo shot out between laughs.

"And you're weaker than I thought! Do you even lift, bro?", which sent them into harder laughter.

Eventually Kylo was able to raise himself to his knees, and he rolled over on top of Hux.

"Welcome home," he said, leaning in to kiss him.

Kylo's family was so remarkably different from his own that it took him time to get used to it. His mother worked constantly and his father was away for much of the week, but still. When they were all home it was warm, and open in a way that Hux hadn't known families could be open.

Kylo's mother actually asked them about their day, and listened to the things they told her.

They were respectful of Kylo's parents rules about not occupying the same bedroom at night--but found ways to get around that during the afternoon and daylight hours, after school and before Leia returned from work. In particular there was one intense episode that they shared in the shower that both would remember for some time to come.

Love and sex aside, however, Hux was just happy to BE with Kylo. He couldn't remember ever feeling such a strong sense of belonging, of kindred spirit-ship, as he had with him.

Watching the way he picked out all the horseshoe-shaped marshmallows from his Lucky Charms in the morning. The way he sat out on the back steps with a cigarette. Even the annoying way he hogged the bathroom mirror for what seemed like hours as he tried to get his hair into just the right state of nonchalant messiness--all of these things and more made Hux fall for him a little harder with each passing day.

He was worried, a little, that spending so much time together since Hux had moved in would sour their relationship, make them grow sick of one another; but that never seemed to be the case.

Kylo often came into his room in the mornings, pouncing on his bed and jumping up and down on it (sometimes alongside Chewie) until Hux woke up.

Hux had offered, and continually offered, to pay something towards the rent or groceries since he had moved in, but both of Kylo's parents refused him.

So he did it subtly.

He had gotten himself a part time job after school and weekends at, of all places, Starbucks. So he would take a part of his paycheck every week and he and Kylo would go to the grocery store, bringing home the things the house was out of or needed. Once a week they would cook dinner as well, Hux surprising Leia with his latently discovered culinary skills.

In no time at all, Hux had saved up enough from his job to buy a decent used car.

Things were going well for him, but still. There were times when he would think of his dad, and the way his face had looked the day they all meet with the principal; and he would get really depressed.

Graduation day was approaching, and, as hard as he tried, Hux couldn't get into the spirit of things. Each graduate was given 4 invitations to give to family or friends to attend the ceremony; but Hux wasn't sure who to give them to.

He thought about it, long and hard, and mailed one of the invites to his father. Whether he would show up or not was a mystery; but Hux would have felt wrong, not inviting him.

He also sent one to his aunt Gloria and her husband, Phil. The last invite he let Kylo have, so that his parents could invite Kylo's cousin Rey, who really wanted to attend with her father. 

The day came, sunny and white-hot, at 2 in the afternoon. He had held Kylo's hand as they marched out to the beat of the graduation march, onto the field where everybody began clapping and hooting at their arrival. He gave Kylo a quick kiss as they separated to go to their alphabetic sections, and his eyes scanned the crowd nestled up in the bleachers.

As all he graduates sat in their seats, listening to speech after boring speech, Hux continued to search the bleachers. He spotted Kylo's uncle Luke, uncle Lando and Rey, sitting on the far left side next to Han and Leia. Further searching landed his eyes on his own aunt Gloria and Uncle Phil, and he couldn't help but smile, pleased that they had come.

But . . . there was no sign of his father.

As his row stood to walk the stage, he cranes his neck backwards, still looking hopefully for his dad. But he knew it was pointless. If he were there at all, he'd be sitting next to Gloria.

He shrugged it off as best he could, as his name was called and he walked the stage towards his diploma. Loudly, above the polite clapping that came for every graduate, rose the thunderous stomping and shouting of Kylo's dad and his uncles, which brought a real smile to Hux's face for the first time all day.

He was surprised when he felt himself tear up a little, when they called Kylo's name. He wiped them away, quickly, before anyone could see.

At last the ceremony was over, and everybody from the bleachers flooded the field and flocked to their graduate.

Hux's aunt an uncle found him first. His aunt kissed him, his uncle shook his hand and handed him an envelope. Inside was a graduation card with a $100 bill stuck in it. He thanked them both, repeatedly, and bid them goodbye as they walked off the field and back to their car.

He was startled as a pair of strong arms tackled his waist from behind and nearly drove him to the ground.

Kylo turned him around, and kissed him so long and so hard that Hux wondered, mildly, if he was going to pass out. When he let him go, he touched his face, softly, and whispered, "I'm proud of you."

"I'm proud of YOU."

Then Kylo's family found them. Leia was already swimming in tears, hugging and kissing them both repeatedly until Han could manage to drag her away.

Eventually the family all headed towards the cars. Han and Leia had reserved a place for them at Marion's, the towns fanciest restaurant, and the entire group, along with some friends that couldn't come to graduation, was going to dinner there.

As Hux and Kylo got into Kylo's car, Hux wondered why Kylo didn't pull off with the rest of his family. Rather, he waited until they had all already left, then turned to Hux with a smile on his face.

"So, you remember how I said once, that we're engaged, to be engaged?"

"Yeah--?"

He opened his console, and pulled out a small black velvet box, which he handed to Hux.

Hux opened it, and his breath caught. Nestled into the softness was a charming black-gold ring, shiny, with a trio of square diamonds embedded in its front.

He was speechless, as Kylo went on,

"It's not an engagement ring, you understand. More like a --what do you call them? A promise ring? Like, a promise that one day I AM, for real, going to ask you to marry me. So be ready."

"Kylo--this is, 'this is--"

He couldn't think of the words to say, so he just leaned over and pulled Kylo into his arms, hugging him as tightly as he could. This time he didn't bother wiping the tears out of his eyes. When he released Kylo, Hux saw that he had the same tears.

Both were quiet as Hux slipped the ring from the box and slid it over his finger. 

It fit.  
Perfectly.

"Alright then," Kylo was saying, clearing his throat against more tears, "I don't know about you, but I'm fucking starving. Let's catch up with the others, huh?"

Hux nodded, still not trusting himself to speak, and leaned over to kiss Kylo's cheek.

-.-.-.-

The weeks that followed were full of busyness, and changes.

Hux had already enrolled for the coming fall semester at the local college, enacting his plan to go there for two years while he saved up money and credits for a transfer to a larger school. Kylo had been accepted into an Art and Graphic Design school, which was technically in the next state, but only about an hour commute from home. His parents had said both of them could continue to live at home in order to save money.

They planned, once they got on their feet, to save up money while they were at home the next two years, and by the time Hux was ready to transfer, get an apartment together and move out on their own.

"You really want to do that?", Hux had asked Kylo, half-joking. "God, aren't you sick of me, yet?"

Kylo had rolled his eyes, and said "Yes. I'm absolutely disgusted with you. Can't stand you."

"I can't stand this," he said, as he kissed Hux's neck. "Can't stand this," as he kissed the tip of his nose. "I hate these," he said as he kissed both of Hux's cheeks. "And I absolutely, positively LOATHE this," as he kissed him, hard, on the lips.

Repeatedly.

Kylo had gotten a job as well, working at Michael's arts and crafts store; a perfect fit for someone as artsy as him. He had already left, and Hux had just gotten out of the shower, preparing to get ready for his job.

The house was empty, except for Chewie, and Hux sat on the bed in his towel for a few minutes, enjoying the peace and quiet. Although Kylo had turned 18 since graduation, he and Hux still maintained separate rooms. They did this mostly out of respect to Kylo's parents, who, although they wouldn't have protested them sleeping in the same room, probably would have felt a little awkward about it, regardless.

"Just think," Kylo had said one day, as he sat on the edge of Hux's bed watching him get dressed. "When we get our own place, we'll get one of those huge beds, with the memory foam mattresses and all that. And we'll have pajama parties every night."

"Pajama parties?", Hux had repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I was kinda hoping that any 'party' we had in bed would be sans clothing."

"That's a good point," Kylo had responded, grabbing his wrist and pulling him down on top of him. "You wanna practice some 'dancing' right now?"

Hux smiled as he sat there and thought of that memory. It was so quiet that he jumped, when the sound of his phone ringing cut through the air like a blade. Hux sighed as he looked down at the familiar number: his aunt Gloria. 

What is she calling for?, he wondered, before answering it.

Before she had even gotten a full sentence out, Hux could tell that she was upset. She was talking so fast that Hux couldn't understand her, and had to ask her several times to slow down.

Eventually her husband picked up the line, and told Hux, in his slow, deep voice,

"Your father had a heart attack early this morning."


	6. Chapter 6

When his phone woke him up at 4 in the morning, he was surprised with himself, at how calm he was.

He sat at the edge of his bed, and waited.

And waited.

He waited for some sort of feeling to strike him, to tear him apart.

Anger, regret, sorrow, tears--something, ANYTHING to combat the scary blankness in his chest.

But nothing came.

The past few days had been a slow-moving nightmare for Hux. He had arrived at the hospital that first day, meeting with his aunt Gloria and a doctor in the hallway outside of his father's room, to discuss his father's medical state.

"We were able to stabilize him," the doctor, a kind-looking older man, had said, "But we need to operate. X-rays show that one of his valves is almost completely closed off, and we need to get in there, to put in a stent."

"Are you his next of kin?", he asked, looking at Hux.

Hux nodded.

"You're at least 18 years old?"

"Yes."

"We have some papers we need you to sign, standard forms that give us permission to operate."

Hux nodded again, numbly.

"When will the surgery be?", asked his aunt, still in tears. 

"Tomorrow morning. We were hoping to wait until he was a little stronger, but the situation is imperative."

"Can I go in, and see him?", Hux asked in a low voice, half-hoping that he would say no.

"You can, but only for a few minutes. He needs his rest. He's on a lot of pain medicine right now, so he may be a bit groggy."

"You go ahead, I'll be waiting in the lobby," Gloria said.

Hux steeled himself and walked in, and had to get over his momentary shock, upon seeing his father in the bed.

He looked--so much older. Weak.

Helpless.

His arms were hooked up to several different IV's, and there was an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. He looked over at Hux as he approached the bed, but his eyes were so unfocused that Hux wasn't sure he was really seeing him.

He pulled up a chair and sat by his dad's bedside. He wasn't sure what to do, or say, after not having seen or spoken to him in so long.

"Hi, dad; how are you feeling?", he asked, and immediately felt stupid. It was obvious how he was feeling; but what else could Hux say?

He contented himself with telling his dad about his upcoming surgery, and what the doctors intended to do to fix him up. 

His dad blinked, and breathed through the mask, but made no effort to remove it and respond.

Hux told him a little about what he had been up to, about his job, and his plans for going to school, what he wanted to major in, all that stuff. The more he talked, the easier it was for his words to come out. Or maybe it was just easier because Brendol could only listen, and not answer back.

So he told him a little bit about him and Kylo, and their tentative plans for the future. He had said this partly to get a reaction, to put some expression on his dad's face, even an angry one, to combat the awful smooth blankness that was there now.

As it was, Brendol's face remained unchanged throughout the conversation.

"And, I know you don't approve. But if it means anything at all to you, I'm happy. I think I'm the happiest I've ever been, in my life. I know that you can't accept that, but I just wanted you to KNOW that. Just--just in case."

His father blinked slowly, but made no response.

A nurse stuck her head in the door, and silently put her fingers to her wrist, tapping her watch to indicate to Hux it was time for him to leave.

He nodded at her, then turned back to his dad.

"I have to go, dad. I'll see you tomorrow, after your surgery, okay?"

No response.

Hux hesitated, then leaned over and kissed his father's cheek.

"Love you, dad," he mumbled, before turning and leaving the room.

When the phone call came in the early morning, what they told Hux was that Brendol had had another heart attack during the night, this one strong enough to put him away for good.

And when the phone call ended, he got up and sat on the edge of his bed, and put his face in his hands, staring blankly at the wall.

Eventually, he got up and tiptoed down the hallway to Kylo's room, and pushed the door open slowly. Kylo was barely visible in the faint light coming from the window, buried underneath a mountain of blankets.

Hux pulled the covers back and slid down beside Kylo. He put his arms around the other boys waist, and buried his face in his chest.

Kylo stirred at the movement, then woke up slowly, blinking rapidly in the darkness.

"Hux?", he said sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong? What time is it?"

And then finally, FINALLY, a strong feeling flooded through Hux's chest and he began to cry, his thin shoulders shaking painfully.

He didn't have to explain to Kylo what had happened, or why he was so upset.

He had already guessed.

So he cradled Hux as best he could, softly stroking his hair as the redhead soaked his shirt.

-.-.-.-

The funeral was on a Tuesday, overcast but hot as blazes just the same.

Hux had gone by himself, despite strenuous protests from Kylo to accompany him. He needed the time alone, to process, to think.

He had chosen to wear a collared, dark blue, long sleeved button up shirt, black pants, black shoes, and a black tie. He had debated whether to go all black in regards to the shirt, but decided against it. Today would be depressing enough already without the added grimness of the colors.

Hux's father already had a plot bought and paid for, next to Hux's mother, and this is where they laid him to rest.

It was a small ceremony, quiet and intimate, with just Hux, his aunt and uncle, and a few of his father's close friends. 

Hux was solemn and emotionless throughout the words of the preacher and the lowering of the casket into the ground; a stark contrast to his aunt, who hadn't stopped crying since she first stepped out of the car.

Hux had flowers with him, not so much for his father's sake as for his mother's, as he spread the bouquet evenly around the two headstones.

When it was over, he drove himself down to the beach and walked out on the pier, stopping at the spot that he and Kylo used to frequent so often in the warmer weather.

Finally alone, free from everyone's eyes, he waited.

Where were the tears? Where was the pain? Where was the grief befitting that of a son who had just buried his father?

He had already cried once, the day it happened. But he hadn't thought that that would be the end of his tears.

As it was, right at that moment, all he could feel was numbness.

He sat there past dark, long past the point of freezing, until the repeated worried texts from Kylo caught his attention.

He checked his watch. 9pm. Way past the time when Hux should have been back home. Where had the hours gone? 

"On my way", he tapped out to Kylo, before picking himself up and heading towards his car.

Kylo was waiting for him when he pulled in the driveway, sitting on the steps under the porch light.

"I was getting worried," he said as Hux got out of the car and approached him. "Mom is, too. She keeps texting and asking whether you're back yet."

He pulled his phone from his pocket, sending the message to his mom that Hux made it back safely. "She's on her way home now; she took off early. She wanted me to ask you if you want her to pick up anything for dinner."

Hux sat down next to him on the steps, and began to undo his tie. 

"She doesn't have to do that," he mumbled, looking out across the yard. "I'm not really that hungry."

Ren frowned. "Are you sure? You haven't eaten much all week."

Hux shrugged, and said "I'll have a Poptart or something, don't worry."

He had gotten the tie off, and was absently winding it around and around his fingers. Kylo watched him do this for a bit, before saying,

"Are you alright?"

Again, Hux shrugged. "I'm okay. I guess I'm a little tired, but I'm okay."

"We should get you to bed early, then. Do you want to come sleep with me, in my room?"

Hux smiled a little. "That would be nice."

More silence, and then Kylo was touching his arm, saying playfully, 

"Have I told you how good you look, when you're all dressed up like this? So fucking sexy it makes my head hurt. That shirt really brings out your pretty eyes."

Hux laughed a little at that, glancing over at him. 

"Thanks. You know you don't look so bad yourself, in your height-of-fashion ensemble."

Kylo was wearing his ratty black sweatpants and his favorite t-shirt, black with the sleeves cut off, and 'Poison' emblemed in lime green across the center.

Kylo looked down at himself and grinned. "Thanks. Seriously, though, you do look good. Are you gonna dress like that at our wedding?"

Hux looked down at his hand when he said that, tilting his promise ring this way and that so that it gleamed under the porch light.

"I will. What are YOU gonna wear?"

"Well, what's wrong with what I've got on now?"

Hux started to laugh, leaning against Kylo as he said "Not a damn thing."

"I mean, I'll put on a tie over everything, of course, just to really kick it up."

"Works for me," Hux responded, then yawned loudly.

"I just feel so tired, Kylo."

"Part of that is you not eating. Come inside, I'll make you something."

"Like what?"

"Anything you want."

"French toast? And bacon?"

"You've got it," Kylo said, standing and holding out his hand.

After a moment, Hux took it, and followed him into the house.


	7. Chapter 7

Hux put tape over another box, sneezing a little at the dust that flew up his nose.

He was in his old house, his father's house, packing up his father's belongings to put into storage. In truth he was throwing away more than he stored, having seen no value or merit in the majority of the things his father owned.

The furniture and appliances he and his aunt had sold off at an estate sale, dividing the profits evenly between them. The rest of the things, piddly things like clothes, books, and personal affects, Hux was looking over carefully and deciding whether to throw out or tuck away.

He found where his father had been keeping Hux's mothers' engagement ring and wedding band; he put these, along with his father's rings, on a chain, and gave it to Leia for safekeeping. He also found a wealth of photo albums tucked away in the attic, which he packed up in boxes to take back home with him.

The whole process took about a week, with him going over before or after work to get a little done each day. Sometimes his aunt was there to help, other times it was Kylo, or Leia.

This entire time, he was waiting for a call from his father's attorney, in regards to his father's will. The man was apparently out of the country on foreign business, but had spoken with Hux since to offer his condolences and assure him that he was his number one priority, once he returned to the states.

Personally, Hux was in no hurry for the meeting to take place. He didn't think that his father would have left him anything other than what he was currently packing into boxes. He didn't own the house, so that would go back to the bank. His old car had broken down weeks before his death, so there wasn't that, either.

Hux vaguely remembered, once, his dad mentioning that he had a life insurance policy; and this was probably what his lawyer wanted to talk to him about. Hux figured it couldn't be that much, maybe a couple thousand dollars, enough to put towards school or maybe buy another used car, a newer model perhaps.

At least there were no bills to worry about. His aunt and uncle had covered the cost for his funeral, and insurance had taken care of the hospital bills.

By the end of the week he had gotten most of his dad's stuff squared away, or out at the curb, and he walked through the house one final time to be sure he had gotten everything. Absent of furniture, the house seemed loud, and somewhat spooky. His footsteps echoed on the bare wooden floors, and Hux found himself looking over his shoulder every few moments, with a sense of dread. He kept expecting to see his father walk out of his bedroom, sleepy eyed and grumbling, to get ready for work, like he used to. It was an eerie feeling, one that Hux couldn't shake off.

Mr. Solo was with him today, having come with his old pickup to help Hux take the odd ends of furniture that hadn't been sold down to the Salvation Army.

They loaded the last of the pieces into the truck and took off. Hux didn't have much to say on the drive over, lost in his own thoughts, and Han was respectful of that. On the way back home, however, he abruptly switched off the radio and looked over at Hux, before speaking.

"How are you holding up, kid?"

Hux shrugged, looking out the window. "I'm okay. A little tired, but okay."

Han nodded and was silent a bit, before continuing.

"I don't know if Ben ever told you this, but I lost my father around the same age as you. Maybe about a year older; I had just turned 20."

"No, he never told me that."

"I didn't get along so well with my dad, either," Han said slowly, glancing over at the quiet redhead. "And he didn't much care for me. But in MY case, I probably deserved that. I was out smoking, drinking, staying out all night, flunking classes, and getting into fights since I was a teenager."

Hux looked over at him, but said nothing. It was hard to imagine this sensible, sturdy man as a wild child, in any sense of the word.

Han must have guessed what he was thinking, because he laughed, before continuing:

"I know, I know. Hard to see NOW; but back then, it was true. I went on like that for years, until--"

Here he paused, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Until, what?"

"One day I met this girl," Han said softly, a fond smile on his face. "My opposite in every possible way. Incredibly beautiful. One of those rah-rah types that are involved in everything, from debates to environmental protests, to human rights organizations. And smart? Holy shit, was she smart. Not just smart, but clever. She could argue the leaves off of the trees. It wasn't until I met her, that I had any clue what I wanted from the world, or out of my life. And it wasn't until her that I started to grow up, and become a man."

"So what happened to her?"

Han smiled again. "She married me, and gave me a son, and almost 20 years of a happiness I didn't even know existed."

Now he looked over at Hux. "That's why I'm glad that Ben found someone like YOU. He's a lot more mature, and grounded, because of you. Definitely happier."

Hux looked over at him, and had to look away quickly when he felt like he might start crying. He had been doing too much crying this last month, and he was sick of it.

Han didn't help matters when he said, quietly, "I just want you to know, I'll always be here for you, the way I am for Ben. You're a good kid; even if you ARE a 'ginger'," he said, with a smirk.

Hux laughed out loud at that. "Thanks, Mr. Solo."

"Han. Now come on, I'm starving. Let's go pick up some burgers."

-.-.-.-

The inside of Mr. Debride's office was bright, and tastefully decorated, but cold. The air conditioner was on full-blast to combat the swampy heat outside; but to Hux, it felt like overkill. He wished he had brought in a jacket or something with him, as he was all but shivering in the cold metal chair.

Debride talked to him about his father's physical assets, which weren't much. Apparently he owned 1/4 of a farm in the town where Hux's mother had grown up, but the place was, as Debride put it, "a shithole where nothing grows". He told Hux he'd help him  
sell his father's share, if he wanted; although it probably wouldn't bring in $1,000, if that.

Hux nodded, thinking that at least it would be SOMETHING.

"Were you aware that your father had a life insurance policy, of which you're the sole beneficiary?"

"Uh, he mentioned having one once or twice, I think."

Debride took out a folder and shuffled through some thick papers, until he came across the document he was looking for.

He pushed them across the desk to Hux with a smile, with the amount he would inherit circled in red pen.

$1,500.00

"Hm. Fifteen hundred. That's not bad; I can probably get another car with that," Hux said out loud.

The lawyer frowned, and pulled the papers back towards him.

"$1,500? No, no," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry; I just hired a new secretary and she's still typing out things wrong. The commas in the wrong place, so's the period. It's one hundred and fifty thousand, son."

"O-one hundred, and and fifty THOUSAND?", Hux asked, in pure disbelief.

"Yes. I have some transfer documents I'll need you to sign, and I'll need to see your I.D. and your Social Security card; did you bring them, like I asked?"

Hux nodded numbly.

"Perfect! I'll be right back; I need to go get some forms."

Hux nodded again, and watched as the man walked out of the room.

$150,000.

He had known his father had a life insurance policy; but he'd had no idea it would be so much.

$150,000.

"With the grants that I already have, this should be more than enough to get me through school. Kylo, too, considering he has that liberal arts scholarship.", he said out-loud to himself, planning.

"And I bet, after I figure out school, there would be enough left over to get an apartment, maybe put down like a year or so's rent in advance. Do they let you pay far? I bet someplace would. Say we found a really good place, at like, $1,500 a month, including utilities. 1,500 times 12, no, 24 . . . "

He did the math in his head, twice, to make sure it was accurate.

"That would be, like, holy shit, $36,000?! Christ. Well, okay, it's just a guesstimate. I'm sure we could find a cheaper place, maybe pay just one year in advance--"

Debride came back in, and completed the rest of the transfer to Hux. It would be several days until the money was available to him in the bank, but it was real, and it was there.

He thanked the man and walked back out into the summer sunshine, his head so full of planning and thinking that he could hardly remember where he'd parked his car.

He spoke to himself the rest of the way back, thinking as far out into the future as his mind would allow. When he was close to home, a sudden thought made him pull over at a nearby park, killing the engine and staring out at the trees.

Every single one of your plans, thus far, has involved Kylo in some way or another, he thought to himself.

Why?

Hux, is he really someone that you can see yourself spending a lifetime with, or is this just circumstantial love? Do you love him because he was your first REAL love, and because his family took you in, or does it go deeper than that? And how do you think he truly feels about you?

You both talk all the time about getting married some day; but is that REAL? Or is it something you say to keep pushing your relationship along further?

He flipped through the radio, and stopped, laughing out loud, when he heard that dreadful song come over the pop station.

"All the single ladies, all the single ladies . . . "

He laughed and shook his head as he snapped the radio off, and pulled out of the park.

Okay, he thought to himself. 

Message received.


	8. Chapter 8

"Leia, before I forget, I have something for you."

Hux and Leia were sitting in the kitchen, where he was helping her make dinner. Kylo and Han were both still at work; so they were all alone in the house.

Leia had just put the roast in the oven, and was setting the timer when Hux spoke to her from behind.

"For me?," she asked, turning around. "Why?"

Instead of answering, Hux got up, crossed the room, and hugged her.

She hugged him back, a little worried. "What's wrong, honey?"

"Nothing's wrong; that's just the thing, NOTHING is wrong. And everything COULD be wrong, if it wasn't for you and Mr. Solo. You took me in, fed me, treated me like I'm your own. You were here for me during all the mess with my father--"

He stopped here, gruffly clearing his throat against the tears he felt threatening to overflow from his eyelids.

"--and I appreciate you both, more than you'll realize. I don't think in all my lifetime I could ever really repay you, but I thought maybe this would be a start."

He pulled an envelope out of his pocket, and handed it to her. She opened it, and her mouth dropped open in shock.

"I know you have a vacation coming up, from work. And I thought, maybe, you'd like to actually GO somewhere, you and Mr. Solo, instead of just sitting around here."

Inside the envelope was two round-trip airline tickets to the Bahamas, and a paid 2-week rental at a cabin on the beach.

Leia sat down weakly in a chair, her shock making her feel faint. 

"There's a bunch of things included in the package," Hux said quietly. "Banquets, dancing, gambling, boat tours, snorkeling--or just plain laying out on the sand."

"Hux--how--how--"

He smiled and sat down next to her, telling her of his visit a week ago to the lawyer, and the windfall he had come into. 

"Hux--that's wonderful, but that money is yours. I can't let you spend that kind of money on something like this."

"With all due respect, Mrs. Solo, I'm a grownup and you can't make me do or not do anything. So there," he said playfully, going to hug her once more. 

She suddenly squealed and jumped up and down, looking so much like a teenager that Hux had to smile.

"I can't believe it! I've always wanted to go to the Bahamas!"

Hux grinned. "Good. Only one thing; don't tell Kylo that this came from me. Make something up; say that you won the trip in a contest at work, or something."

"Why?"

"I don't want him to know about the money, just yet. I want to surprise him at the right time with something--something big."

"Something--big?"

He pulled out a chair from the table and patted it. "Sit down," he said, taking the seat next to hers. "I've already talked to Mr. Solo about this; but now I want to ask you --"

-.-.-.-.-

He unlocked the door and stepped inside, calling out Kylo's name. 

No answer.

It was about a week and a half later, and Han and Leia had gone away for their vacation. Hux and Kylo had driven them to the airport, promising to take good care of the house (and Chewie) while they were away.

Chewie heard him come in and came rushing to the door, nearly knocking Hux over in his excitement.

"Good boy, good boy," Hux chanted, patting the wriggling dog. "Chewie, where's Kylo?"

Chewie just wagged his tail and trotted back off into the kitchen, scratching at the back door to be let out.

Hux opened the door for him, and laughed when he looked out into the yard. 

A week or so ago, Kylo had brought home a plastic wading pool that had been on sale at the store next to his own. It was small, not big enough to swim in but pleasant to sit in when the weather was hot.

Kylo was in there now, his arms on either side of him, a small pillow propped underneath his head and a towel over his face.

Hux stripped down to his undershirt and shorts, and crept up quietly to the pool, so that Kylo wouldn't wake up and hear him.

When he got closer, he took a running leap and dove as hard as he could into the water, sending waves up all around and onto Kylo.

Kylo jumped up with a yelp, and pulled the towel off of his face.

"Hoooooly shit, you scared me! What are you trying to do, drown me?!"

Hux started to laugh. "You'd have to be pretty fucking special to drown in a pool where the water don't even come up to your chest."

"Still."

Hux moved closer to him, sitting down on his lap. He put his arms around his shoulders and kissed him.

"How was work today?"

"Good. Rey came in; bought all this painting stuff. Apparently, she thinks art is her thing, now, too," he said, rolling his eyes. "I told her I'd never even seen her draw a cat before; but she insists that shit is hereditary. Grandpa, her dad, me . . . " he shrugged. "Well, we'll see."

Hux nodded, and said, "How are you liking the weather?"

Kylo raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Honestly, I'm not interested in the answer; I just like how your lips look when they move."

Kylo smirked and began to talk in a slow, deep voice, "The temperature today hit a high of 86 degrees, with a steady southern wind clocking in at--"

Hux started to kiss him, unable to take just looking anymore. After a few minutes of this, he pulled back a little, and said,

"You know, you really should take the rocks outta this pool, before they puncture the plastic."

"Rocks? There's no rocks in here."

"Well that's funny; because I feel like I'm sitting on something very--hard, right now. Do you, uh, have a water gun in your pocket, or--?"

"I've got a gun, all right. Huge. Cocked and loaded, ready to fire off. You wanna see it?"

"First off, I wouldn't say 'huge'," Hux said, rolling his eyes. "Second, yes, I would. But it's dangerous to play with guns in public, so we should go inside."

Kylo nodded, and kissed Hux again. 

"And I'll make you an offer," Hux said, as they got out of the pool and headed into the house. "If you let me play with your gun, I'll let you play with mine. Deal?"

"Deal."

-.-.-.-

Later that night, in the early evening, Hux asked Kylo, casually, "You wanna take a ride with me?"

"Where?"

"One of my coworkers is away this week to visit family. I promised I'd stop in each night and feed his cat. Come with me?"

"Sure. But where IS it?"

"You know the Carson Apartment complex? The one you're always talking about that's on your route to where you're gonna be going to school?"

"Ooooh, the pretty red-white buildings? The ones I'm always saying I'm dying to get a look inside?"

"Yup."

"Okay," Kylo said with a grin, tugging on Hux's hand. "Let's go!"

They arrived in a little over half an hour, and parked in front of a large, tree-lined pond that was in the middle of the two main buildings.

"Wow," said Kylo, looking around. "The pond is something. We have to come back here in the day, sometime, so I can sketch it.

Hux nodded, and took Kylo's hand as they walked into the building and to the elevator. 

They got out in the 4th floor, and walked down a soft-carpeted hallway towards the end of the hall, where Hux said his coworkers apartment was.

Just before they got to the end, they came across a door that was all the way open. There was no furniture or anything visible from the hall.

"Hey, look at that; this door's open."

Hux peeked his head in, calling out "Hello?" cautiously, but getting no answer.

"It looks pretty empty; probably just waiting for someone who hasn't moved in yet. You wanna check it out?"

"I dunno; what if we get caught?"

"Then we'll just say Sorry, we have the wrong address. And besides, you know you still owe me for the whole bathroom thing, buddy."

"I guess you're right. Okay, come on."

They stepped slowly into the apartment and flicked on the lights. It was absolutely lovely. The hardwood floors gleamed in the spacious kitchen, the carpet was lush and soft beneath their feet in the living room. Looking out the window showed a spectacular view of the pond, lit up by artificial lights in the darkness. Couples strolled here and there along the cobblestone path, and geese were seen floating quietly along in the moonlight.

The bathroom boasted a big tub and shower area, and the bedroom was quite large.

"You know, you're the artist, here. I don't do so well with seeing things, or planning. If we lived here, how would you decorate this place?"

Kylo smiled, and launched into a monologue about the pictures he would hang on the wall, the kind of furniture he always wanted, the types of plants he'd have growing in the windowsill, everything.

Hux watched as Kylo became more and more animated with his descriptions, and he could barely hold back the smile on his face.

At last, he interrupted him and said, "I have something to tell you. I, um, I lied."

Kylo turned to him curiously.

"Lied? About--?"

"I don't have a coworker who lives in this building; we're not here to feed a cat."

"Then why--"

"What if I told you, that this place, was ours? That we're walking on our own floors right now, looking out our own windows, and everything you just said about the furniture and the pictures and all that can happen? Well, maybe not the black light thing, because yeah, no. But still."

Kylo had started to laugh, quite sure that Hux was teasing him. "Yeah, okay, Hux. Whatever it is you're smoking, can I have some?"

Hux shrugged, and pulled a key out of his pocket. "Here," he said as he handed it to Kylo. "Turn the little lock thingie on the doorknob, step into the hallway, and close the door. Use the key to let yourself in."

Still thinking that Hux was teasing him, he Kylo did as he was told--and stepped back into the room with his jaw hanging open, when he saw the key actually worked.

"Hux--", he began, and paused, unsure of what to say. "Are you being serious right now?"

"Nope. I'm totally kidding. These aren't real, either," he said, pulling a crumpled form out of his pocket. On it was a specially drawn-up document that served as a bill of receipt, claiming the rent had been paid in full for the next two years. 

"And utilities are included in the rent, so, we shouldn't have to worry about anything for a little while."

Kylo sat down quickly on the floor, as he felt himself grow faint. Hux sat down with him, putting a hand on his back to steady him.

Slowly, quietly, he told him about the trip to his father's lawyer, and the money he had inherited. 

"I thought this place would be perfect; it'll be much closer to your school than your parents' house, and I hear you talk about this complex all the time."

"Hux--I don't know what to say."

Instead of answering that, Hux branched out into his next topic.

"It's weird, to think we've only been together for a little over a year," he said, silently cursing himself when he noticed the minute shake in his voice. Kylo must have noticed it, too, because he had turned his head and was looking at him.

"I wanted to do this better. More, uh, romantic. But seriously I feel like I'm going to pass out if I don't get this out as quick as I can."

"Hux--what are you talking about? What's wrong?"

Hux pulled Kylo to his feet, and stood him by the window. He watched as Kylo's eyes got wide, as he dropped down to his knee. He took Kylo's hand into his own, and with his other pulled the little box from his pocket.

"Ben Solo," he began, taking a deep breath to steady himself, "The word 'love' is a paltry thing, compared to what I feel for you.  
In the time I've known you, you've become my lover, my best friend, my brother, my confidante, and my boyfriend. That's a lot of titles, but there's one more I want to give to you."

He opened the box, revealing a heavy white-gold ring with a large square diamond on its surface.

"Will you--will you be my husband?"

Kylo stood frozen, unable to move one way or the other out of shock. He opened his mouth, once, twice, his ice-blocked brain unable to get the words out.

"'Lo? Kylo?," Hux asked worriedly, snapping his fingers in front of his face. "Is--is this your way of saying no?"

Kylo still couldn't speak, so instead he pulled Hux into his embrace, and squeezed until his arms ached. 

"Can't--can't breathe!", Hux choked out, struggling to get loose from Kylo.

"Can't--let go," Kylo finally managed to say; he loosened his grip enough to let Hux draw in air, but he still held on.

"You--you surprised me," he continued, whispering into Hux's neck. "That you actually WANT me, that--"

He let go of Hux suddenly, and said, excitedly, "Gimme my ring!"

Hux laughed and handed over the box to Kylo. He put it on, holding his hand out beneath the lights, admiring the glint of the diamond.

"Jesus Christ, I'm engaged," he said, softly; then repeated the statement several more times, as if he couldn't wrap his head around the concept.

"I dunno about that, Kylo. I mean, technically, you still haven't said Yes."

Kylo threw his arms around Hux again, knocking the breath out of him. "Yes, you idiot. Yes, yes, fuckity-fuck YES!"

"Fuckity-fuck. I love that."

"I love YOU," Kylo responded, tackling him against the wall and pelting him with kisses.

He pulled out his cellphone. 

"I've gotta call my mom. She'll be so excited--"

"No need for that right now, love. I already told her I was going to ask you. Your father too."

"Really? My God, you've been sneaky lately! What else have you gone behind my back and done?", Kylo asked playfully.

"That's funny; I rather thought you liked it when I 'went behind your back'. I was under the impression you enjoyed that, actually."

"Don't tempt me," Kylo purred, kissing softly down Hux's neck. "Not fair to say things like that when there's no bed in sight, and home is miles away."

"Well, maybe there's not a BED," Hux said slyly as he pulled away, and walked to the hall closet. He opened it and pulled out a blanket and two pillows that he had stashed there earlier. "But maybe this will work?"

Kylo looked at him in disbelief. "I can't believe it; you planned THAT out, too? Being married to you is going to be one hell of a ride."

"Speaking of rides . . .", Hux whispered, pulling Kylo into his arms as he kicked their front door shut.


End file.
